The Scar Expanded Version
by Firebolt909
Summary: Chapter 8 Uploaded on 15 September Like the title says, this is the expanded version with tons of new content. HG with a bit of RH on the side Is Harry and Ginny's love strong enough?
1. Le Mort D'Arthur

The next three weeks came and went in a rush

A/N:  For those of you who have just received an author alert from me, and are now thinking "What the hell?  We read this one already!"  This would be the expanded version of "The Scar."  This was the first story I wrote that actually had a bit of a plot to it and at the time, I wasn't as comfortable with writing as I am now and wrote the first version in a hurry.  I want to correct that and make this one a bit longer. I also wanted to delve a bit deeper into the story especially with Ginny's character since I've come to understand her more through working on "Dear Tom…" which ironically enough, was inspired by a short paragraph in this story.  So, this is the new version.  The old version is now deleted, and you guys have no idea how hard that was to do, especially since I had so many wonderful reviews for that, but I'm sure that everyone will like this just as well, if not better.

Thanks and enjoy!

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The Scar  Expanded Version 

Firebolt909

Rating: PG-13

Chapter One:  Le Mort D'Arthure

Ginny Weasley brushed back a lock of bright red hair from where the wind had blown it across her face and concentrated on the drawing in front of her.  It was a beautiful late-summer morning and she was in the glen near her house watching her brothers and Harry Potter practice Quidditch.  Actually, if the truth were known, she was drawing them on her sketchpad that she brought out, rather than watching them.

"Looks nice. One of your best, I'd say," said a voice above her.  Ginny held her hand over her eyes to shade them from the sun as she gazed up at her friend and her brother Ron's girlfriend, Hermione Granger. 

"Thanks," Ginny replied, looking up at the hovering figures hundreds of feet above them as they swooped, glided, and zoomed in the sky.

"Although," Hermione said, grinning as she took a seat next to Ginny on the warm green grass, "One would never know that there were actually _four_ players up there, since you've only drawn _one_ so far."  Hermione was referring to the sketch Ginny was drawing, where Harry Potter was captured, his arms reaching out to catch the apple that had been bewitched to look like the Golden Snitch.  Ginny drew back from her work, comparing the representation with the reality.  She had captured Harry's expression exactly as she saw him; the intense look of concentration, the furrowed brow, the way he bit his lip just as he reaches out to grab the Snitch, the look of triumph in his forest green eyes when he closes his fingers around it.

"Oh, if only he knew he was the object of such artistry!" Hermione sighed, giggling.  In spite of herself, Ginny laughed along with her friend.

_If only he knew, period_, Ginny thought.  Ginny had been in love with Harry ever since her first year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.  She was just about to start her sixth year there and she had become quite good at hiding her feelings for the black haired boy.  Even her own brothers thought she was over him.  Everyone did, except for the smartest girl in the school, and Hermione would never tell.

Ginny was just about to reply to Hermione when the object of her thoughts landed right in front of her, startling her.  She hastily flipped the page of her sketchbook over so he wouldn't see it.

"Hey there!" Harry smiled down at them.

Ginny returned the smile, ignoring the way her heart skipped a beat as he stood over her, sweat dripping down his face, hair mussed from the exercise, green eyes bright.

"Oi!" Ron gasped as he plopped down next to Hermione, giving her a quick kiss.  "I'm beat," he said, sprawling out on the grass.

Harry sat next to Ginny, grabbing the bottle of water next to her and taking a long sip from it.

"You do know that I was using that to clean my paintbrushes off with, don't you?" Ginny asked.  Harry promptly spit out the water, spraying Ginny in the process, who was now laughing.  Ron and Hermione joined in, seeing the look of disgust on Harry's face.

"I was just joking!" Ginny chortled.  "I don't even have my paint brushes out here!"

"I'm going to get you for that," Harry promised, wiping his mouth with the hem of his shirt.

"Ha!  I wouldn't dare, Harry," said Fred as he and his twin George joined them.

"Yeah, Ginny's the worst of the lot," George chimed in.  Ginny stuck out her tongue at her brothers who both blew raspberries at her.

"Shouldn't you two be working on the opening of your store?" Ginny asked before the two dunderheads could start in on her.

"We will, we're Apperating back to Hogsmeade tomorrow in fact." George told her.  The twins had finally achieved their dream of starting a joke shop, _Weasley's Wizard Wheezes_.  The grand opening was on Halloween, in the village of Hogsmeade, not very far from school.

Harry leaned over to whisper in Ginny's ear, "Should I be afraid that those two passed their Apparation Tests on the first try?"

Ginny replied, "We all should be very afraid.  Although, I'm not really surprised.  Fred and George tend to excel at things that could possibly get them into a lot of trouble, and just think what sort of mischief they can get into by Apperating and Disapperating everywhere."

"All of you!"  Ginny's mother yelled out, causing the entire group to jump in startlement as she marched towards them with a vengeance.  "Get inside this instant!  Your father is coming home this evening and I'll not have him come home to a bunch of street urchins!  Now to the showers!"

The group groaned and moaned as they got to their feet, although no one would _dare_ argue with that tone of voice.  Ginny's father was out on an assignment for the Order of the Phoenix and had not been home in four weeks.  No one knew what he was up to, or what the assignment was, but an owl had arrived at the Burrow that morning with a message saying that he would be home by this evening.  Mrs. Weasley was now preparing the house for her husband's arrival.

Harry stood up and held out a hand for Ginny to take it.  She did, ignoring the flush of heat that rushed to her cheeks.  After five years, he still had the same effect on her.

"You excited about starting school, Ginny?" Harry asked her as he helped her gather up her art supplies.  Ginny made sure she grabbed the sketchpad, which was almost full with different sketches of him.

"I guess so," Ginny replied as they followed the rest in.  "Actually, I think I'd just rather stay here, where I can pretend everything's ok, you know?"

Harry stopped and stared at Ginny.  "Yeah, me too.  I've always thought of this place as a safe haven from the rest of the world, where nothing can go wrong here.  Didn't think anyone else did, you know, considering you live here and all."

  
Ginny smiled.  It always amazed her how much she and Harry thought alike.  Such a shame he'd never noticed it.

As they came in through the kitchen, Ginny's mum hurried them all up the stairs to shower and change.  Ginny and Hermione were ordered to set the table and finish getting supper ready.  The kitchen was filled with the wonderful aromas of the delicious meal planned.  The boys came down, filing up in front of Ginny's mum for inspection, then hurried off to get out of the way.  Soon, everything was in order and all they had to do was wait for Ginny's dad to come home.

The entire family gathered in the living room to wait.  The boys were all polishing their broomsticks, while Hermione sat next to Ron, reading a book.  Ginny's mum would sit for moments, then get up to go check on things.  Ginny got out her homework from school and started on it. 

An hour later, there was still no sign of Ginny's dad.  Her mother had started to worry.  "He should've been here now. Something's wrong."

"Nonsense, Mum," said George.  "He'll be fine."

Just then, two loud popping noises were heard in the kitchen. "He's here!" cried her mother.  As she was just getting up, two figures walked in the living room, neither of which was Ginny's father.

"Dumbledore! Sirius!"  The two men wore grave faces.  "Molly," said the Headmaster, "you're going to need to sit down."  Ginny froze at these words.  Something was terribly wrong.  Both Dumbledore's and Sirius' eyes were red, and both looked as if they had aged years since she last saw them.

"What's happened? Where's Arthur?"  Ginny's mum started to panic.

"As you know," Dumbledore explained to the room at large, "Arthur was on a special assignment for us.  We had been planning months for this.   We received word through our spy in Voldemort's inner circle that an attack was being prepared on the Muggle Prime Minister.  Arthur, given his love for Muggles, volunteered to set a trap for the Death Eaters.  His job was to stop the Death Eaters before they got near the Prime Minister.  He succeeded."  Dumbledore paused.  "However, one of the Prime Minister's bodyguards mistook Arthur as an assassin.  Arthur was killed by one of the Muggle's weapons."

Ginny felt as though her lungs were no longer able to work. It was pure torture just to breathe.  Her throat clenched, tears silently ran down her face as she looked at her mother, embraced by Dumbledore, weeping loudly.  Fred and George were white as snow, both with identical expressions of shock and grief.  Hermione was comforting Ron, who was shaking.  Ginny never noticed that her pot of ink had turned over, and was slowly being absorbed into the sofa seat.   She never felt more alone.   She stood up, dazedly, staring around the room for a second, then Ginny felt herself running.

How long or how far Ginny ran, she never knew, but she ran until her lungs nearly seized up from lack of oxygen and her legs collapsed.  She landed with a thud on the ground, stirring up dirt, leaves, and branches.  Ginny lay there, random memories and images of her father flashing before her eyes; the way he would get all excited when he found some new Muggle artifact, the way he'd always try not to get Fred and George into trouble, how he looked the day he placed her on her first broomstick, how he never failed to greet her mother with a kiss.  Ginny cried face down in the leaves, thinking about her father and how he wouldn't be there to do those things again.  The pain was unbearable.

"Ginny?" a soft voice said.  Ginny ignored it.

"Ginny, come on get up."  Harry rolled her over and lifted her in his arms.  She was barely aware of him carrying her over to a large boulder and sitting on it, gently brushing the leaves and dirt from her face and hair, murmuring words of comfort as he held her while she sobbed, her tears drenching his shirt.

"That's it Ginny, that's it, let it all out," Harry whispered as he stroked her back.  She should have been embarrassed as the loud, gut-wrenching sobs escaped her, tears flooding down her face as Harry held her.  She should have felt embarrassed to lose control like that in front of Harry, but there was no room for anything but grief inside her.  She'd probably feel embarrassed later on though.  Especially if her daddy could see how she was acting.

At last she was all cried out.  She drew back, eyes focused on the wet stain her tears had left on Harry's clothing.  "I seemed to have cried all over you," she said dully.  "I'm sorry."

"Shh," Harry said softly, drawing her head back down to his shoulder.  "Why did you run like that?"

"I don't know."  Ginny watched a bug crawl across the boulder they were sitting on.  "Everyone should be pleased  now, huh?"  Her voice was cold, cruel.  "Over the past few years, ever since Voldemort's return to power, everyone had always said that we were so lucky because we hadn't lost anyone to him.  No Dark Mark above our home!  Well…well…they should all be happy, cause a Weasley finally died, shouldn't they?"

"Ginny—" Harry began, but Ginny interrupted him.  "No, Harry.  I'm sorry.  That was just really awful of me to say such things.  Dad would have been shocked, to hear his little girl talk like that."  She looked up at him, seeing the light from the house illuminate his glasses, making them opaque, hiding his eyes.  "He loved you like a son.  He always said all you needed was a bit of red hair and a temper and you'd be a full-fledged Weasley."

Harry bowed his head.  "He was the father I never had," he said quietly.  "I'm so sorry, Ginny."

"Its not your fault, Harry.  None of this is."  Ginny said firmly.

Harry raised his head sharply.  "I'm supposed to be The Boy Who Lived, I'm supposed to be the champion of good.  Everyone's hero."  He gave a harsh laugh.  "Some hero.  I wasn't able to save Cedric, or your father, or the hundreds that have died in between them."  Ginny had never heard Harry speak with such anger.  He was always so controlled, so calm, ever since his fourth year.  Nothing ever riled him.

"Its not your job to save the world, Harry.   You've done all that you could do.  Voldemort's just too powerful now."  She gently pulled back his fringe covering his scar, fingers lightly tracing the pink skin.  "You're in constant pain because of him.  Isn't that why he hasn't even bothered trying to kill you since the Tri-Wizard Tournament?"  Harry's scar, a sort of connection between him and Voldemort, constantly throbbed since his return to power.  Harry had described it to Ginny as just a bad headache, that never went away.  He claimed to rarely notice it anymore.  "There's nothing we can do," she said flatly.

Harry nodded, knowing she was right.  Ginny jumped down off the rock and took Harry's hand, pulling him after her.  "Come on, we have to get back.  What everyone must think of me running off—"  She shook her head sadly, thinking about how cowardly she was, running away when her family needed her most.

They ran back to The Burrow.  It was the same scene in the den that she had left, almost as if everyone was too scared to move.  Dumbledore was still clutching her sobbing mother, Sirius stood awkwardly in the background, not too sure what to do.  Ron, Fred and George just stared off into space.  Hermione was nowhere to be seen, but clinking sounds coming from the kitchen signaled that she was making tea.

Ginny walked over to her mother.  "Mum," Ginny said softly, touching her shoulder.  "Come on.  Dad wouldn't want us crying so, would he?  Come with me, I'll put you to bed."  Molly cried harder, but allowed her daughter to pull her from Dumbledore's embrace and escort her to her room.  "I'll be back in a minute," Ginny said to the room at large.

Ginny eased her mum into her bed.  "I'll be right back, mum.  I'm going to get you some tea."  In the kitchen, Ginny opened a small bottle of a sleeping draught and poured it into a cup of tea Hermione held out for her.

Back in her mum's bedroom, Ginny had to force her mum to drink.  "Come on now, mother," she said sternly.  "We're gonna get through this."   Molly was still sobbing, her body shaking with the force of them, tears streaming down her face.  Somehow, Ginny managed to get her to drain the cup.  Molly laid back down, instantly asleep.  Ginny reckoned she may have used a bit too much of the draught, but her hands were trembling when she poured it into the teacup.  Blowing out the candle, Ginny tucked her mother into bed and went back into the living room.

"Fred, George, Ron," she said, drawing their bloodshot eyes to her.  "Go to bed.  We have a long day ahead of us and we'll need all the rest we can get."  The three nodded dully, and each slowly rose.  It hurt to see Fred and George, who were always joking, always full of mischief, always finding something to laugh at, so silent and mournful as they treaded up the stairs.

Ginny immediately turned to the other two men in the room.  "Professor, my brothers Bill, Charlie—"

"and Percy are all being tracked down as we speak," the Headmaster finished for her.  "They should be here by morning at the latest."

"Thank you," Ginny said.  "You and Sirius are both welcome to stay the night here if you like."

"My dear girl, we wouldn't dream of leaving you all like this.  We will be staying until all arrangements are finalized."  Ginny gave the kindly old man a weak smile of gratitude.

"I'm going to be staying with mother, if you need me." Ginny turned and went back to her mother, who was snoring softly.  She must have laid there for an hour, praying for sleep.  She thought about taking a bit of the sleeping draught herself, but she needed to be clear headed tomorrow.  Sighing deeply, she rose and went into the den, stretching out on the sofa, her head falling back on the armrest.

"Here," said Harry's voice.  Ginny opened her eyes to see him sitting down on the floor beside her, holding out a cup of tea.   "Drink this."  She looked at the cup skeptically, wondering if he drugged it.  As if reading her mind, he said, "I didn't put anything in it, don't worry."

Ginny smiled and took a sip.  "I put Fred and George into Ron's room and Dumbledore and Sirius is in their room," Harry told her.

"I didn't even think of that.  Thank you, Harry."  Ginny blew out a deep breath.  "I'm such a coward, Harry.  I never should have run like I did.  I disappointed everyone tonight.  And that's twice that I've done that.  The first time was with that diary of Tom Riddle's and the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry looked at her strangely.  "You're no coward, Ginny Weasley," he stated firmly.  "And you weren't a coward then, either.  Don't ever let me hear you say that again."  He took her hand and held it tightly.  "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for.  You managed to fight off Voldemort as a little girl and there aren't very many people who can say that.  I can't even say that.  I had my mother's love protecting me the first few times we met, and the last time…"  Harry's voice trailed off.  "My parents managed to give me enough time to get away."

"I think you are braver than you give yourself credit for," Ginny retorted softly.  It might have been the trick of the light that made it seem as if Harry was blushing, but he squeezed her hand and smiled.

"Thanks, Ginny."  He kissed her hand.  "Now get some sleep."

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A/N:  Thanks for reading.  Just to give you an idea of  "expanded" this chapter is three times as long as the original. : )


	2. Plugs and Batteries

The next three weeks came and went in a rush

A/N:Nothing pleases me more than to see that everyone likes this version.It would be most upsetting to rewrite this and have everyone tell me it sucks and the first version was better. : )My worst flaw when it comes to writing is that I am **extremely** impatient, which I think why the first version wasn't very good.That would explain the reason why I don't use a beta-reader and also why I tend to post chapters rapidly.That and the fact that that I am still avoiding all opportunities to work on my term paper with only one week left of school.But that's old news.

And I do apologize for having to put everyone through Arthur's death again.You all have no idea how hard was for me to write, especially since he's one of my favorite characters.

I'm working on this as I go along, so don't know how long it's going to take me to repost the entire thing, especially with two other stories in the works.Thanks for all the reviews!

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The ScarExpanded Version 

Firebolt909

Chapter Two:Plugs and Batteries

Ginny woke up the next morning with a cramp in her neck.Slowly stretching, trying to work out the cramp, she rose.All things considered, she had slept fairly well.She must have been more tired than she thought.That and it helped having Harry with her, just holding her hand, silly though it may seem.She went and checked on her mother, who was still sleeping deeply.It wouldn't do to wake her up, not yet, Ginny thought.Closing the door softly, she went upstairs to change and freshen up a bit.A nice warm shower would be just the thing.

Heading back downstairs, her red hair still damp and clinging to her clothes, she heard low voices in the kitchen.Bill, Charlie, Percy, and Harry were all gathered around the table, drinking tea and eating a bit of toast.

"Hey, squirt," Bill said, standing up to give her a big hug.She gave him a sad smile and hugged her other two brothers.

"When did you all get in?" she asked, sitting down between Charlie and Percy.

"Early this morning," Percy replied, absently stirring his tea."We were all working together, so we were pretty easy to find."

"How's Mum?" Charlie asked.

"Not too good.I gave her a sleeping draught, and she's sleeping fine, but when she wakes up…."Ginny's voice trailed off knowing that her mum would most likely be in the same state before she went to sleep.Maybe it wasn't wise to give her the draught.It would only delay the pain when she woke up.At least all her family would be here, however.They could get through this, together.

"Dumbledore and Sirius have gone to get Dad," Charlie said, a catch in his voice."We were just talking about where to place him."

"What about the family plot?" Ginny asked, thinking of the small Weasley graveyard that was inside the small forest behind The Burrow.

"We thought about that, but then Percy mentioned how much Dad loved that small hill that looked out over the village," Bill said."Think we should leave it up to Mum?"

Ginny nodded."Yeah."

Just then, the rest of the family came downstairs.They all greeted each other with hugs, red eyes, and a few sniffles here and there.As everyone ate the meager breakfast of toast and tea—no one had much of an appetite—an owl flew in, dropping the morning edition of The Daily Prophet in the center of the table.Nine pairs of eyes stared at it, no one daring to touch it.

"Well," Ginny said, brushing crumbs from her fingers and reaching for the paper, "One of us has to look at it."She flipped open the paper and read aloud:

Ministry of Magic Official Dies in Assassination Attempt 

By Rita Sweeter

Arthur Weasley, Head of the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts died last night in a botched assassination attempt against the Muggle Prime Minister, reports Rita Skeeter, special correspondent and editor of The Daily Prophet.Apparently, Albus Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix had been given word that He Who Must Not Be Named had plans to assassinate the Muggle Prime Minister and sent Arthur Weasley out to thwart the attack.Arthur Weasley died during the attempt, accused by the Muggle policemen of being the assassin.Several Ministry Wizards had to work 'round the clock to perform mass Muggle memory alternations, as well as stop the Muggle news from broadcasting the information on their radios and televisions.Dumbledore has declined comment with The Daily Prophet and no contact can be made with the Weasley family.Arthur Weasley left behind a wife and seven children.The three oldest are also members of the Order of the Phoenix.It is of the opinion of this reporter that perhaps the Dumbledore's Order, isn't all what it the general public makes it out to be, especially with mistakes like this last one being made.

"God, I hate her!" Ginny exclaimed angrily as she slammed the paper back down onto the table."Botched attempt!Making it sound like those dunderheads at the Ministry had such a hard time erasing those Muggles' memories!"

Percy wrapped his arm around her."It's what I expected.That old cow has just been itching to get something on Dumbledore.Its because she's being paid the Ministry to dig up what dirt she can on him."Rita Skeeter was now editor of The Daily Prophet, having worked her way back up the ladder after Hermione exposed her for an unregistered animagus.The Ministry of Magic was in shambles,Cornelius Fudge was dead, and what was left of the Ministry were in the hands of the Death Eaters, still claiming that they weren't supporters of Voldemort.The Order of the Phoenix was the widely recognized governing body during this time of chaos, and The Daily Prophet, in the hands of the Ministry, did its best to make Dumbledore look bad.

"What did she mean by 'no contact can be made with the Weasley family'?No one's even tried to contact us, have they?"George asked.

"Dumbledore placed a spell around the house before he left this morning.Only certain people can find us here," Harry explained.

The rest of that day passed very slowly.Dumbledore and Sirius returned, helping along with the arrangements for the funeral.Ginny spent most of her time taking care of her mother, who was not doing well at all.She refused to eat, she wouldn't speak to anyone, and Ginny was at her wits end as to how to help her.In the end, it was Dumbledore who went in and spoke to her mother for quite sometime.When he came out, her mother was in much better spirits and insisted on cooking a delicious dinner for everyone.

For the next three days, Ginny felt as if she was in a strange dream.Every morning she would wake up, and for one brief second, she would think that everything was like it had always been; she could almost hear her father downstairs talking over the morning paper as her mother clanked around the kitchen cooking breakfast.Then reality would hit.Her father wouldn't be sitting in his place at the head of the table, fussing about the latest article in The Daily Prophet; no more would he tweak her hair and call her pumpkin.

People from all over would stop by, with permission from Dumbledore, offering their condolences and asking if there was anything they could do.Ginny frowned at some of them, those were the wizarding families who believed that the Weasleys were lucky since they hadn't lost anyone in their family before now.She completely ignored them, which wasn't very nice of her, but she couldn't hide how she felt about them.As for the rest of their friends, Ginny would paste a smile on her face and offer them tea and biscuits, smile, and nod respectfully when they would tell her what a good girl she was.

Arthur was buried on the fourth day following the announcement of his death.It was a beautiful day, the sun shone brightly, the soft breeze was just enough to take the heat out of the air.It was the worst day of Ginny's life.Her mum had agreed with the rest of the family that Arthur would be happiest buried on the hill that faced out over the village, his favorite spot to sit and think.Standing between her mother and Bill, Ginny waited for her turn to scatter dirt over the dark cherry coffin, her tears falling down onto the wood. Once again, she was forced to wear her "good Ginny" face and smile at all the appropriate times when the well-wishers at the funeral patted her and said how good she was.When the day was finally over, she felt like screaming.

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The next three weeks following came and went in a rush.The Burrow, despite being filled to overflowing with friends and family, had never been so quiet before.Even the family ghoul had ceased his normal caterwauling and clanging about and had not made a peep, as if it too, was morning the loss of Arthur.Funerals normally provide some sense of closure for a family, help the family cope with the loss.This was not the case for the Weasleys.It only made it seem real that Arthur was in fact dead, and the entire family lapsed into a period of silence after the funeral was over.Arthur's seat at the family table remained empty, despite the fact that they all had to crowd around the rest of the table.Sirius stayed the first two weeks, then had to leave to get back to his assignment.Dumbledore had to leave as well, school was not that far away and the duties as Headmaster and leader of the Order of the Phoenix would wait no longer.Percy, however, stayed behind, taking over the reins of the head of the family, trying his best to fill the shoes his father left behind.He was doing an admiral job of it; tying up loose ends, taking care of the bills, making sure his mother and siblings were all taken care of.

Ginny was not doing well at all.She had lapsed into a fit of depression, and rarely ate or spoke to anyone.She mostly stayed out in the garden sitting on the bench, watching the gnomes play as Crookshanks, Hermione's bandy-legged cat, chased them about.No one could cheer her up, although they did try.Fred and George were constantly pulling gags on anyone and everyone around.Ginny would laugh, but she felt as if she had to force it, rather than hurt their feelings.Her brothers did try so hard and she loved them for it.But she _would_ get through this.She had to.

Finally, it was time to leave The Burrow and go back to school and Ginny was glad to be starting back,hoping that the change of scenery would help her.Ginny woke up earlier than usual that morning of September 1, shaking.She had another nightmare.Ever since her father's death, they were becoming more and more frequent.It was always the same:she was in darkness, her entire body unable to move and someone kept screaming her name.Bright green light flashed and Ginny felt a piercing pain in her chest.

Walking into the kitchen, she noticed that most of the house was up too.Her mother was cooking sausages, while Hermione was pouring milk. Percy, Bill, Charlie and the twins were quietly talking.

"Looks like you had a rough night there, Gin," Bill greeted her.

"Yeah," Ginny yawned."I haven't been sleeping well, not that any of us have."

Percy was meticulously reviewing the household accounts, his books spread out everywhere.At Ginny's words he looked up and said, "Ginny, you have us all really worried.You barely say a word, you still aren't eating well, and now you're having nightmares.Are you sure you're ok?"Percy had even started to sound like their father. 

"I'm fine, Perce."Ginny gave him her best smile."Need any help, Mum?"

"Sure dear.Get out the forks, knives and spoons, please."Ginny walked over to the drawer and started counting out the utensils.Among the mismatched silverware, there were several plugs and batteries. Ginny bit her lip, fighting back tears at the painful reminder of her father and his hobby and began to laugh hysterically. 

"Ginny?"Charlie asked her, seeing her laugh and cry at the same time."What's wrong?"

Ginny walked over to the table and placed one of the plugs in front of Charlie."There," she said, still half-giggling, half-crying."I must have stepped on one of these blasted things about eight hundred times this morning alone, while packing my trunks.They are all over the house."

Her family stared at her, not know what to say or think."And he never figured out what any of them did,"Ginny finished, wiping her eyes with her napkin.

Ginny's mum came over and sat down, giving her daughter a hug."I thought he was crazy collecting those wretched things," she said tearfully."But he had thousands of them.And God help me when he found out that different countries used different plugs.He wrote every wizard he knew in America asking them to send him the plugs the Muggles used over there."Soon the entire kitchen was filled with a mixture of laughter and tears.

"What's everyone laughing about?"Ron demanded, rubbing his eyes.Harry was close behind him.

"Plugs and batteries," Bill replied, wiping his eyes.

"Ugh, I know," Ron said, taking the chair next to Hermione."They're all over the house."

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The trip to Kings Cross Station was not bad at all.Percy had managed to pull a few strings and they all traveled in a huge car together.Harry and Hermione called it a Limousine, whatever that meant.However, it managed to hold nine people and their trunks, and two owls, and a cat most comfortably.Ginny had to blink back tears when she thought how excited her father would have been to see this.Apparently, no magic was needed to make the car so big, it was built that way.

Inside Platform 9 ¾, Percy pulled Ginny aside while everyone was saying goodbye and waving hello to friends.

"Ginny, are you sure you're ok?"Percy asked her once more.

"I'm fine, Percy.Really."Ginny said."I think going back to school will be a good change."

Percy gave her a shrew look through his glasses."You just look so pale and sick.It reminds me of…" he hesitated, obviously looking for the right words, "Of when you were in your first year again."

Ginny bit her lip."When you were in your first year again" was how her family referred to her writing in Tom Riddle's diary, that ended up endangering her own life as well as Harry's in the process.Ginny normally didn't flinch anymore after thinking of that, she had long put it behind her, but hearing that phrase now….it just brought back a bunch of unwanted memories.Mentally shaking them off, Ginny tried to lighten the mood."I promise you, Perce,I sworn off diaries since the last time," she grinned up at him.

Percy didn't return her smile."You aren't eating.You're having nightmares, Hermione told me.You barely spoke to anyone for three days.Just promise me you'll take care of yourself, ok?"

"I will.Don't worry about me, you've got to take care of Mum," Ginny said as they walked back to the rest of the group.Ginny was pulled into bone crushing hugs from each of her brothers—honestly, those prats don't know their own strength!

She could hear Percy talking to Ron, "Watch after Ginny, she's not well."Ron nodded, casting Ginny a concerned look.If she didn't love them so much, she would be seriously irritated at them.But Ron took his duty as older brother seriously, much more than he had before.Ever since Voldemort's return to power, Ron insisted that Ginny spend her time with him, Hermione and Harry.She didn't mind, although she did feel a bit left out being a year younger than the rest.She was also a part of their "circle" which was very nice, since she was now privy to some of the secrets that only the three of them knew.And Harry at least though of her as a good friend, which was much nicer than being Ron's pesky sister.

The whistle blew to warn everyone of the Hogwarts Express' final boarding and there were last minute hugs and kisses.They all hopped on the train, waving goodbye out the window of their car.

"Let us know when you get there!" Her mum called tearfully.

"Behave yourselves,"Percy warned.

"Send us a toilet seat!" cried Fred and George.

They had a car to themselves.Hermione had discovered a useful little spell that would keep out unwanted visitors, meaning that no Slytherins would be able to enter the car during the ride. Ginny chose a seat near the window with Harry next to her, and Ron and Hermione facing them.Hermione had been wearing a very pleased expression all morning long, and Ginny finally had to break down and ask her what was going on.

"Oh, well…it's nothing really," Hermione blushed.

Ron looked at her."Yes, it is.Tell us!"

Hermione's face now matched Ginny's bright red hair.She reached into her pocket and pulled out a letter.Ron took it and read:

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_ _

_We are most pleased to inform you that you have been selected as the Head Girl for the new school year.Enclosed is your Head Girl badge.We are looking forward to seeing you this year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_ _

_Sincerely,_

_ _

The Faculty and Staff of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Everyone gaped at Hermione, who was now taking out her Head Girl badge and pinning it to her robes.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?"Ron asked incredulously.

"Well, I got it a few days after…"Hermione trailed off."And then, there just wasn't a good time to bring it up."She squealed as Ron started kissing her.

Harry and Ginny both busted out laughing."Hide your eyes, fair Ginny!" Harry said as he placed his hands over her eyes."They're at it again!"

Ron tried to kick Harry, which was rather awkward since he was still kissing Hermione at the same time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
A/N:I have no idea what a note to a Head Girl/Boy would sound like, so that is totally made up. I'm sure there was more to it than that, however.


	3. Baby Doll Draco

The train ride to Hogwarts was relatively uneventful

A/R:(author's rant) I'm so sick and tired of this semester and I want to get out of this backwoods redneck town and go home.Oh, and uh…if any of you are religious, please pray that I will make it through the next five days (my two finals are due on Tuesday) without hurting anyone or ending up in another country (both of which are very likely at this moment).

A/N:(author's note) Ok, apologies to everyone for the rant, but I actually felt better bitching to a bunch of strangers: )I'm so glad that everyone likes the new version and to be honest, this isn't too much in this chapter that has changed, but it's still worth a good giggle or two : )

~~~~~~~~~~~

The train ride to Hogwarts was relatively uneventful, not counting the fact that Hermione's announcement left Harry and Ron looking like Christmas had come early this year.

"Don't think I'm going to let you three get away with murder just because I'm Head Girl," Hermione warned them.Ron and Harry each gave her a wicked grin.

"You'll just have to work extra hard to keep me in line," Ron replied, giving her a wink.Harry and Ginny both laughed at her blush. 

Ginny ended up sleeping during most of the trip, she stretched out on one of the empty seats and managed to have a nice nap despite the constant noise coming from her other companions.Ron and Harry played exploding snap and Hermione caused quite a commotion when the snap cards landed on the book she was reading and caught the paper on fire.Ron didn't help matters when he tried to stamp out the fire with none other than Crookshanks' tail.By the end of the trip, Ron and Hermione had made up, although Crookshanks' tail was still smoking a bit and Ron was covered in scratches.

A squealing of breaks signaled the Hogwarts Express arrival at Hogsmead Station.Ginny nearly fell of her makeshift bed if it wasn't for Harry who just so happened to be standing over her and managed to catch her at the last moment.

"Are you ok?" he asked in what Ginny thought of as a nervous sounding tone."I….I… I was just about to wake you up."

Ginny blinked, confused as to why Harry had been standing over her and why he was blushing so furiously."I'm fine," she yawned.The car was empty, Ron and Hermione had obviously retrieved their things and left.Shaking off the last remnants of sleep, Ginny stepped back and began to gather up her things while Harry waited for her at the doorway.Grabbing her trunk, Ginny slowly dragged it down the stairs.

"Here Ginny, let me take that," Harry said nudging her away and catching hold of the handle.

"Thanks Harry," Ginny said, blushing slightly as Harry returned her smile.

Harry paused and looked at her."I know you're probably tired of hearing this, but are you sure you're ok?You still look tired even though you just took a nap and you hardly said anything on the train.I know these past few weeks were hard, for all of us, but…..you really have me worried."

"I'll be fine," she assured him."I think maybe a new change of setting will help."

"You still having nightmares?"

"Yes, but they're not anything to worry about.Just silly dreams."She noticed Ron and Hermione waiting for them to catch up.

"Well, if you ever want to talk--or anything, I'll be right here."Ginny's heart flip-flopped at the thought of Harry being worried about her.Sometimes, during moments like this one, Ginny got the feeling that Harry just might think of her more than just a friend, but unfortunately, those moments never lasted long.

"Hey, Potter!" the snide voice of Draco Malfoy called."I see you found a girlfriend!"

"Go to hell, Malfoy," Harry retorted, "Before that thing you date decides to crawl back under her rock!"Those in hearing distance roared with laughter.

Malfoy's face twisted in rage."Sorry to hear about your father Weasley," he said as he came towards them, "Kinda ironic that he was killed by those Muggles he adored so, eh?What's your family going to do now that no one's bringing home any money?"

Looking back on the incident that was to follow, Ginny never knew what made her do it.But before Ron or Harry could react to Malfoy's insult, her wand was already aimed at Malfoy and "_Glamoursi_" escaped her lips.She watched Malfoy's sneer slowly switch to a look of horror as the black of his robes turned into baby blue.Thick, rich rows of the finest lace appeared around the neck and cuffs and his expensive pair of dragon-hide boots transformed into matching lace slippers.The worst, or best part, depending on one's point of view, was watching Malfoy's short blond hair grow into long, curly locks as his cheeks and lips deepened into a dark shade of pink.Malfoy now closely resembled one of those dolls Ginny had seen little Muggle girls play with.

Silence reigned across the station.Harry and Ron both stared back and forth between her and Malfoy, jaws hanging.A thin wisp of pink smoke lingered in the air.Thankfully, the new Head Girl took over, ordering everyone back.

"Ron, you and Harry take Ginny and get on the next carriage," Hermione ordered, sounding exactly like Professor McGonagall."Malfoy, I don't know the counter-curse so you need to get as quickly as you can to Madam Pomfrey."Harry and Ron, still in awe, jumped at Hermione's "MOVE", each grabbed Ginny's arm, and led her to the nearest carriage.Ginny was in shock herself.What was going to happen to her? Was she going to be expelled?Her heart sank and she turned a deep shade of green at the thought.

Harry and Ron caught the first carriage they saw.Pushing Ginny inside, they both sat opposite of her and gawked at her, identical expressions of fear, shock, and absolute amazement on their faces. Then, after a few minutes of complete silence, Harry suddenly let out a hysterical laugh, which jerked Ron out of his stupor and pretty soon, the carriage was literally shaking with the two boys' guffaws. 

"I've never in my life been so proud of my little sister," Ron exclaimed, wiping tears from his eyes.

"It was better than that time Moody turned him into a ferret," Harry gasped clutching his stomach and giving Ginny an incredible smile.For once, she was not amused.

"Now don't worry, Gin," Ron told her, still grinning ear to ear as he noticed her chewing her lip in frustration."You're not going to be in any trouble.Madam Pomfrey will just perform the counter-curse and everything will be fine!"

"There wasn't one," Ginny mumbled, not looking at either boy.   
  
"Wasn't what?"

"A counter-curse. That particular spell has no counter-curse."

Ron and Harry roared, collapsing upon each other as they both fought to breathe. 

When the carriage finally stopped, Ginny was forced to wait until both Ron and Harry had recovered before getting out.Professor McGonagall was waiting for them, looking as fiercely strict as ever with her eyes flashing behind her spectacles and her foot tapping impatiently. Harry and Ron were now fighting to contain their chuckles, and McGonagall gave them a very sharp glance before turning to Ginny, who was almost trembling with fear.

"Miss Weasley," she said firmly in her no-nonsense tone, "I'll need to you come with me after the feast."Ginny nodded tentatively, feeling as though she had just been told she was being shipped off to Azkaban.

Hermione was waiting for them in the Entrance Hall."I don't think you're in too much trouble," she told Ginny, giving her a reassuring hug, "or Professor McGonagall would have taken you to the Headmaster immediately."This did not make Ginny feel better as they found their seats at the Gryffindor table.

Ginny could barely hear the Sorting Ceremony as the entire Gryffindor table kept on whispering "Good job!" and giving her the thumbs up sign and winking slyly at her.Harry and Ron couldn't stop grinning even when Hermione kicked them soundly under the table.Even she wore a pleased expression as though she had just received top marks for all her subjects.Ginny felt the heated glares coming from the Slytherins burning her across the hall during Professor Dumbledore's welcome speech.It was so unfortunate that new spread like devil's snare among the Hogwarts students and teachers. She couldn't even bring herself to glance up at the head table, where Professor Snape was sure to be wishing to force feed her his finest poison potion.Ginny could only pick at the sumptuous feast when it began and hardly spoke to anyone, despite her instant celebrity status that made her the talk of the Gryffindors.

"Look Ginny," Harry said as he stuffed roast beef into his mouth, "Ron and I have both been in enough trouble with McGonagall to know when she's got it in for you." Ron nodded as Harry continued, "You have a clean record, so there's really nothing to get upset over.At the most you'd only get a detention."

Dumbledore stood up after the pudding had been served and all golden dishes were wiped clean."Now all of you to bed!And I wish you all well during this upcoming semester."The scraping of the chairs against the floors drowned out the students' voices as the all began to file upstairs.Ginny, however, took a deep steadying breath and began to march towards the head table, where only a few professors were left.

"You'll be fine," whispered Hermione as the three accompanied her. 

"We'll see you when you get back to the Tower," Ron said.

"Good luck, Ginny."Harry whispered, squeezing her hand.Ginny swallowed, fighting back the beginnings of what was sure to be another one of her blushes.Damn him for doing that to her just as she was going to be expelled!

"Ah, yes, Miss Weasley," McGonagall said when she noticed Ginny standing behind her, now looking quite green which contrasted with her bright red hair."Come with me if you please."

Ginny could only pray as she followed.Up winding staircases they went, passing curious portraits of dead Headmasters who all stared down at Ginny in fascination.Stopping at a gargoyle, McGonagall gave the password "_Sugar quill_", and marched into Dumbledore's office.She had only been there once before, and the memories of her last visit to the Headmaster's office swam through Ginny's head, leaving her feeling extremely weak, like she'd been hit with a jelly-legs jinx.She wobbled over to the chair placed in front of his mahogany desk.

"Thank you Minerva," Dumbledore said."Miss Weasley will return back to Gryffindor Tower once we've had our chat."Ginny peeked up at the Headmaster as she sat down.The years of Voldemort's return had placed a lot of stress on him.His blue eyes rarely twinkled anymore, he had lost a lot of weight, and now had the appearance of one who bore the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Now Ginny," he said gently, "I know you've had a lot on your mind these past few weeks and I'm willing to believe that you weren't…ah…aware of what you were doing, is that not so?"

Ginny looked up at him and answered truthfully, "Yes, Professor. I didn't really mean—"

"I know, I know," Dumbledore cut in his blue eyes twinkling as he looked over his half-moon spectacles, "you've been carrying an enormous burden lately.Your mother wrote to me about you.Unlike your other brothers," he said, smiling at her, "you've always been most well behaved here.Taking that into account, as well as the knowledge that Mr. Malfoy's…er…ailments will fade in a few weeks, I see no reason to punish you."

  
Ginny sat there stunned.No punishment at all?"But Professor Dumbledore—"

Dumbledore interrupted her again, his eyes twinkling merrily, "That was quite a spell you cast.Good job of it too. I won't even ask you where you learned it. Now, I'm sure your tired after the events of today, so why don't you get to bed."

Ginny had learned the spell from a book her father had stashed up in the attic.It was an ancient tome and Ginny was just browsing through it, not really paying attention to what she was reading.

Dumbledore walked her to the entrance, his hand on her shoulder in a fatherly way."Goodnight, Miss Weasley."Ginny could see Fawkes perched in his corner, the beautiful scarlet and gold plumage glinting brightly in the firelight.Ginny muttered a thank you and stumbled down the passageways that led to Gryffindor Tower.She couldn't believe she got off so easily.

"Password?" The Fat Lady asked as Ginny faced the portrait.Before she could explain that she didn't know it, not having listened to Hermione when she gave it out during the feast, the painting flew open as a pair of arms snatched her inside the common room.

"Here's the guest of honor now!" her brother cried, leading her to the center of the room.What looked like to be a spectacular party was going on.A goblet of pumpkin juice was shoved into her hand as Ron jumped onto the table. Everyone cheered wildly as Harry lifted her up next to Ron.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow Gryffindors!" Ron shouted."I would like to propose a toast to my sister, Ginny!""Here, here," came the replies as the entire room lifted up their goblets in salute."Today, my sister, faced the enemy…and….I just don't think I can go on…." …" Ron trailed off as he wiped away imaginary tears with the sleeves of his robe.

"Get on with it, Ron!" Harry bellowed, sloshing pumpkin juice all over himself.

  
"Ok, ok, ok.My sister, my little sister, faced the enemy today and showed him never to cross a Weasley!And I, as Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, would like to declare this day Ginny Weasley Day.Now everyone, raise your goblets to my brilliant sister Ginny!"The entire room exploded with applause and the clanking of goblets.

"Wait, I forgot," Ron continued over the noise, "I would also like to propose a toast to our new Head Girl! You know her, you love her, God knows I do…Hermione Granger!"Ginny watched as Ron pulled a glowing Hermione onto the table as well and gave her a kiss."I want to toast to Hermione because she has graciously allowed Harry and I to arrange this celebration!"The crowd roared, spilling pumpkin juice all over the furnishings and themselves as well."Also," Ron, now hoarse, motioned for silence, "I want to toast to the official Gryffindor photographer Colin Creevy, who, with his quick thinking and even quicker camera, managed to forever immortalize this glorious day."As Ron finished, the Gryffindor banner above the fireplace raised halfway to show a large picture of Draco Malfoy.The Draco in the picture was trying desperately to cover his face with his hands, his golden curls cascading around his shoulders.Colin Creevy was looking quite pleased with himself, this was the most attention he had ever received in his life.Ginny tried not to smile when she noticed that Colin was taking rapid fire snap shots of Harry, who had just finished emptying his goblet of juice over Seamus Finnegan's head and was now being chased about the room by an irate, wet, sticky, Irishman.

"See, we told you everything would work out!"Harry gleefully declared once the party had calmed down a bit and Ginny gave the details of her meeting with the Headmaster.They were sitting in front of the fireplace, Harry and Ron still toasting their goblets to the picture of Malfoy, who had now hidden himself behind the frame.

"So what did Dumbledore say about Malfoy?"Hermione wanted to know.

"The spell would fade in a few weeks," Ginny replied, finally giving in the urge to laugh as both Ron and Harry began to prod the photograph with their wands, trying to make Malfoy come out from his hiding place.

~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N:Thanks for reading!This will probably be the last installment of this story until next Tuesday when I will finally be done with this semester of hell.As for "La Belle et La Bete"and "Dear Tom…", I don't plan on writing any new chapters until next Tuesday as well.Oh, and for all the other college/university/high school students that have finals this week and the next, GOOD LUCK!


	4. 

That first week back at Hogwarts was the most unusual Ginny had ever had as she became an overnight celebrity

It was funny how Ginny suddenly became an instant celebrity as the news of what she had done to Draco spread throughout the school.On the way down to breakfast that first morning, she was constantly being pounded on the back and yells of "Nice work!" followed her.

Ginny was tired after last night's celebration, and frankly, a bit nervous about starting her day.Hermione passed her the sixth year schedule and Ginny nearly choked on her bacon as she read it.

Monday

9am-11amDouble Potions with Slytherin

Harry placed a comforting arm around her as he read over her shoulder."It'll be alright, Ginny," he said.Ron, noticing how pale she had become, suddenly stood up and walked over to where the two largest boys in her year were.They were first cousins, named John and Paul, and "large" was the really nice way of describing them.Both boys would make Crabbe and Goyle look like house-elves.Ron said something to them rather quickly and then sat back down next to Hermione looking rather pleased with himself.He winked at Harry.

"Don't worry about any of the Slytherins, Gin," he told her as he began buttering toast."I got them taken care of."

"What did you do?" Ginny demanded.But before he could answer, two owls landed right in the center of the table.One owl was Hermes, Percy's owl.The other owl was Errol, the Weasley family owl who was barely even able to stand as he leaned on Hermes for support.Both owls had several letters tied to their legs, holding them out for Ginny.She immediately scanned through them, looking for a red envelope that meant a Howler.None of them were.

The first letter was from Percy. 

_Dear Ginny,_

_ _

_I've been really worried about you and I can't even believe how close you were to being expelled.Do try to behave._

_ _

_Love,_

Percy 

"THAT'S ALL?"Ron exclaimed as he read the letter."That's all the prig has to say?'Do try to behave?'I don't believe it!"

Ginny was rather amazed herself.If anyone was going to send her a Howler, it would have been Percy.Tossing the letter aside, she opened the next one.

_Our little sister has finally grown up!We are so proud of you!Love-Gred and Forge._

Ginny couldn't keep back the small grin as she read their note.Those two could always cheer her up.Knowing who the final letter was from, she could barely manage to open it, her fingers trembled so.Harry had to do the honors for her.

_Try to keep your older brother out of trouble, dearest.Love, Mum._

Ron nearly fell out of his seat when he read that."Reckon she didn't know how to deal with you getting in trouble and thought best to pretend it didn't happen," he said, staring at the letter in utter shock."We'd never get away with something like that," he said with a hint of jealously in his voice.Harry chuckled next to her.Ginny blushed as she realized he still had his arm around her, his hand resting on her waist.

She absently poked the food around on her plate, thinking about how to survive the next few hours.Having a class with the Slytherins was bad enough, did she have to have Potions who was taught by their house leader?Ginny stole a quick glance at the table where the Slytherins were sitting.Malfoy wasn't there.Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle and a few of Malfoy's friends were giving her the nastiest looks imaginable.Ginny turned away, refusing to let them see how upset she was.

"Don't let them bother you," Harry whispered in her ear, seeing where her eyes had wandered."They'll get over it.We'll make sure of it."Ginny smiled at the tone in his voice.He sounded like he'd enjoy nothing more than making them "get over it."Always the hero.

Harry gave her hand one last squeeze as they got up to head towards their classes."We'll see you at lunch, ok?"Hermione called after her.Ginny noticed Ron nod across the table.She tried to follow his gaze to see what he was up to, but lost whomever it was in the shuffle.

Heading down to the dungeons was relatively uneventful, surprising since she knew for a fact that she'd be running into Slytherins.But no one seemed to even bother her, especially when she noticed that both John and Paul were right behind her.She looked around her; there was a small circle of Gryffindors surrounding her.

Inside the dungeons, Ginny took her normal seat in the back of the room.She had learned from experience that it was better not to gain the attentions of the Potions Master, and for one with the brightest red hair in existence, it was best to be as far as one could possibly be.John and Paul took seats on either side of her, with Colin Creevey and a few of the other Gryffindors taking seats around her.The Slytherins couldn't even see her.Ginny held her breath when Snape reached her name when taking roll, knowing for sure that he would make some sort of nasty comment, but he merely called out "Weasley?" and went on to the next name.She then knew she was a goner when the potion she was supposed to be making turned a bright blue instead of the muddy brown it should be.Her hands were shaking so badly that another bezoar had slipped from her fingers.

"Do be careful, Miss Weasley," Snape said walking by her cauldron.Ginny frowned.Why didn't he yell at her?He had just told off Colin Creevy because his potion was too thick!What was going on?The rest of Ginny's day passed by the same way.Her professors treated her like nothing had happened, although her classmates did continue to whisper congratulations to her and give her the thumbs up sign behind the teachers' backs.John and Paul dogged her to every class, one on each side of her as if they were her personal bodyguards; letting up only when she was in the presence of Harry or Ron.

To make things worse, the Creevey brothers had started passing around **Ginny For President** buttons that would change to **Don't Piss Her Off!**By the end of the day, Ginny's temper was on a short leash.

"If you don't make them back off, I swear I'll give you worse than what Malfoy got!" Ginny nearly screamed at Harry and Ron as she walked into the common room, John and Paul on her heels.She was so mad, she was shaking.

Harry and Ron, who were playing chess gaped at her.Even the chess pieces looked up in astonishment.

"I'm serious!"Ginny roared.

Harry slowly got up to his feet, almost as if he was afraid of her."We're sorry, Ginny," he said in a low tone."I'll tell them to leave you alone if that's what you want."

"We were just worried about you," Ron added in the same tone that Harry was using.

Ginny nodded, suddenly aware of how quiet it had become in the room.Everyone was staring at her in mild degrees of shock.Feeling suddenly very self conscious, she whispered a goodnight and went upstairs to bed.Maybe things would be better tomorrow.

********************************

Things did not get better.Hermione had managed to get rid of the buttons, and Harry and Ron stopped having her followed, but those were the only good things that happened.Malfoy finally made an appearance during breakfast that next Monday because Madam Pomfrey refused to keep him in the hospital since he wasn't actually sick.The rosy blush to Malfoy's cheeks and cherry lips were still highly noticeable.His hair had to be stuffed under a hat, since the locks would immediately grow back if cut with scissors.The hat wasn't completely effective, however, because the curls constantly found a way to pop back out, causing the hat to fly off.Ron and Harry delighted in telling Ginny that even Snape had commented on her "handiwork".Malfoy's hat popped off during a Potions class, landing in Crabbe's cauldron and splashing the contents all over.Snape then warned Malfoy that "if you can't keep those pretty curls under control, you're going to have to serve detention."Snape had to take twenty points from the Gryffindors before they calmed down.

Ginny soon learned that as a sixth year student, classes became harder than ever. McGonagall's Transfiguration homework was relentless now that they had started to work on animal transfiguration and Professor Flitwick had them all practicing the more complicated charms (not that she didn't already know a few good ones, the tiny professor winked at her).Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures included new animals such as Mokes, Jarveys, and Jobberknolls, and they all had to regularly take notes on each of these creatures during different times of the day.

As the month of September rolled on, Ginny started to notice how differently her professors treated her from the other students.They all treated her as if she was made of glass, or a time bomb that was set to go off any moment.It explained why Snape never got nasty when she messed up in Potions, or why McGonagall didn't say anything about her rock that was supposed to have been transfigured into a turtle, but Ginny had only managed to have a rock with a pretty shell.She knew she wasn't doing her normal sort of work in class, she was actually quite good in both Potions and Transfiguration, but she couldn't figure out why she was being treated so differently. 

Her friends treated her differently as well.She would constantly find Harry, Ron and Hermione staring at her with concerned expressions.Sometimes they would gaze at her as if they didn't know her anymore, which she found quite unnerving.Ron, being Ron, finally commented on what was bothering them.

"You look sick," he said bluntly one evening as they were all sitting at a table working on homework."Like you've been kissed by a Dementor or something."Hermione and Harry frowned at his choice of words, but didn't comment otherwise. 

Ginny didn't need her brother to tell her she looked awful, she knew she did.A month of sleepless nights and endless homework had affected her body.She had lost an enormous amount of weight, her robes hung loosely as if she were a child walking around in its mother's clothing.Her skin was sallow and colorless, blue veins and yellow splotches crisscrossed themselves throughout her skin, as though she was suffering from some dreaded disease.Her bright brown eyes no longer possessed any trace of spark, and became faded and bloodshot.Even her red hair, something that she had always considered her best feature, no longer held the shine and luster it once had and hung limply down her back.She didn't need Ron to tell her what she looked like, the snickers and whispers behind her back from her classmates would give it away.

"I'm just tired, Ron.That's all," she sighed.

"You've been having nightmares ever since you got here," Hermione said softly."One of your roommates told me."

Ginny sighed.It was true, her nightmares were now nightly events and she would wake up sweating and shaking, never quite remembering what she had seen, only a pair of red snake-like eyes. Ron and Harry looked even more anxious and concerned at this bit of information and frankly, Ginny was getting very sick of those looks.

"I'm fine!" she snapped, causing everyone to jerk.Ginny closed her eyes and opened them, "I'm fine," she repeated more softly."I'm just sick of school, that's all."She looked at them again, seeing that they weren't convinced."I'm going to bed," she finally said, slamming her Transfiguration book shut and gathering her things together.

Harry caught up to her at the stairs leading up to her dormitory."Wait a minute Ginny!"Ginny stopped and turned, for once in her life, sick at the sight of Harry Potter.Why couldn't she be left alone?

"What?"she said harshly, looking down at him from two steps above.

Harry paused for a second, his jaw working silently."Goodnight," he said finally.

"Goodnight, Harry," she said.

*****************

As Ginny lay in her bed that night, the curtains pulled tightly around her, she tried to stay awake by reflecting on her first years at Hogwarts.She was so excited to finally be going to school with her brothers, especially Ron, whom she idolized.Ron had told her all about his new friend Harry Potter, the boy whose name she could pronounce before she learned to say her own, and Harry even came to spend the rest of the summer with them right before school started.Ginny smiled to herself as she remembered how different Harry was from her own imaginations of some tall, handsome boy like those described in the muggle fairy-tales her father adored.The _real _Harry Potter was short, skinny, pale, and wore glasses that showed off a pair of gorgeous green eyes.She found him fascinating.

It wasn't easy growing up as the youngest and only girl in a family of seven children.Ginny had to live with being the one who was constantly teased, tortured, and harassed.It was one of the reasons that her and Ron were close as children—besides being only a year apart—they banded themselves together against the twins, who were the source of the relentless teasing.She was so lonely when he left for Hogwarts, and it hurt when she realized that Ron no longer wanted to play with her; he had other friends to hang out with at school.Ginny thought that would change when she arrived—it didn't.At Hogwarts, she was alone, scared, and friendless.Ginny had never been around other girls her age before and didn't know how to talk to them.The girls in her year didn't like her because she was so shy and silent.In retrospect, Ginny felt it was easy to see how she became involved in the Chamber of Secrets.The man in the diary was the only one she could talk to, the only one who understood where she was coming from.Tom Riddle was her own personal friend that she could carry around with her; he would always be there to listen to her.And so she poured out her heart and soul to him and he kept the pieces for himself, using her to hurt Harry.She was young and foolish, desperate for any sign of friendship, never realizing the consequences of her actions.

Ginny shivered as she turned over under the warm covers.She remembered how terrified she was when she first came to the conclusion that _she_ was the one who was doing all those terrible things to everyone.Ginny had never felt so trapped before.She was scared to tell the Headmaster, what if she was expelled?Fred and George probably wouldn't have believed her if she went to them, "Ha, ha!That's a good one there, Gin," they'd say laughing.She couldn't tell her parents, they would be so disappointed in her—_"Don't trust things unless you can see where it keeps its brain!"_ And of course she'd never tell Ron and Harry, what would the famous, good, great Harry Potter think of her if he knew she was evil?

After that first year, Ginny noticed how differently her family treated her.Going from the one that everyone picked on to the one that everyone had to look after was not a good change.Ron resented her presence when she would trail behind him, Harry and Hermione.If she tried to hang around Fred and George, they would only pick at her even more and Percy was too busy being Head Boy to pay her any attention and would snap at her to go find the others.It wasn't until the return of Voldemort in her fourth year that Ginny finally became accepted again as a sister and a friend.Ron, probably out of a bit of guilt for not being there when she needed him, practically insisted that she join his circle of friends.Actually his words were, "Ginny, I want you to start hanging around me, Harry and Hermione so we can keep an eye out for you.Things are different now."

Ron was right.Things _are_ different, in many ways.With the Ministry of Magic in shambles and Voldemort in power, things were very different from the life that she had previously enjoyed.Laughter sounded harsh and forced in the streets of Diagon Alley.No one could trust anyone any more as everyone was suspected of working for Voldemort.The Dark Mark was a constant reminder of what was going on; it flashed almost nightly in the sky, signaling another death.The Daily Prophet, of course, kept the news on the quiet so information had to be passed along by word of mouth and through owls.

Ginny rolled over, peeking through the curtains at her bedside clock.5:45am.She could stay awake for another hour.She had to.

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A/N:Ok, so this chapter is radically different from the original.In fact, only the last part where Ginny tried to stay awake was kept.This is also the part that inspired me to write "Dear Tom…" 

I'm so glad that everyone seems to like this version better. And I'm so happy to see that I've picked up a few new reviewers as well.Thanks for reading and reviewing, you guys are the best!

GinnyPotter:I'm so glad you got chapter 25 of HP and the Dark Lord up! Everyone go read that if you haven't already!

Oh, and I just have to tell everyone to go read w&m_law's "Heart in Hand."It's a D/G fic, and if that wasn't enough, she's going to pair Harry with Pansy Parkinson, and she's **making** this actually work!!!!The Queen of H/G is absolutely shocked!I'm serious though, it's really good as is her other stories, once you get over the fact that it's Harry and Pansy….I'm just teasing you Amy! : )


	5. Unicorns and Blades

A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews

A/N:To the reviewer who asked for a sequel to this:let's just get through the rewrite first, ok? : ) I'm learning that sequels are very hard to write.

Disclaimer:All characters belong to J.K Rowling.I own nothing.

Thanks to Imogen for getting me through a nasty case of writer's block and giving me a bit of confidence."Long live Queen Imogen!" J

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Breakfast that morning was not a pleasant affair. Ginny just shoved food around on her plate, pretending to be oblivious to the looks she kept on receiving from Ron, Hermione and Harry, who talked quietly among themselves.They had tried to get her to join their conversation, but she didn't feel like talking to them, especially when all they would do is ask her if she's ok and then demand she go see Madam Pomfrey.

It was Friday, normally her favorite day out of the week since she had Care of Magical Creatures in the morning, easily her best subject despite the fact that Hagrid still placed them into contact with dangerous creatures.Having had enough of the silent treatment from her friends, she quickly gathered up her books and left.

"Ginny, wait!"

Ginny sighed, hearing her brother's voice.Why couldn't she just be left alone? "What is it Ron?" she asked in a cold tone.

"I'm worried about you," he said, his dark blue eyes filled with brotherly concern."Is this about dad?'Cause I know you're having a really hard time dealing with this, but please Ginny…you have got to get over this, you_have_ to!"

"Nothing's wrong with me, Ron.I'm fine!"Ginny sighed and turned to go.

"No you are not fine," Ron said very firmly."You aren't fine at all.Ginny, please talk to me!"

"I'm late for class, Ron."Ginny left her brother standing there at the entrance to Hogwarts, a hurt and confused expression on his freckled face.She felt a slight ache for treating him like she had, but it was quickly dismissed by the thought that she didn't need the likes of him, his girlfriend, or Harry Potter.She was just fine.

The rest of the class was already gathered around Hagrid's cabin as Ginny slowly made her way down to join them.Hagrid was standing inside the small paddock with two dazzling white unicorns, the brightness of their coats nearly blinding them all in the sunlight.A small flock of girls surrounded the unicorns, cooing and admiring the silvery manes and tails.

"Thought yeh'd enjoy workin' with Unicorns agin today, Ginny." Hagrid told her as she approached, smiling through his thick beard."They seem ter be real fond o' yeh, and I know how down yeh bin lately.Thought this might cheer yeh up a bit."Hagrid was right, Unicorns were unusually fond of her. Hagrid said she "jus' had somethin' special" that made them trust her.

Ginny gave Hagrid a tiny smile as she walked inside the gate.One of the unicorns was Ginny's favorite, because of the small patch of silver fur that rested on its forehead.

Ginny walked over to the unicorn, her hand held out to rub its nose.Before she had even touched it, the unicorn had stamped its feet and backed away, snorting harshly as it did so.Ginny blinked.Unicorns never acted that way around her.Ginny backed up, running smack into Hagrid.

"Hmm…well….I don' know what's wrong with 'er,"said a bewildered Hagrid, frowning at the unicorn who was swishing its tail back and forth like it was a weapon."Perhaps yer jus' came up on 'er too fast…might've startled 'er.Go on up ter 'er again, Ginny and see what she does."

Ginny knew perfectly well that she didn't startle the unicorn and Hagrid was making up excuses for its odd behavior.Gingerly she tried again.The unicorn, seeing Ginny coming closer, tossed its blinding white head, the silver horn aimed directly at Ginny as if it were to charge her.The bright blue eyes of the animal were staring at her, sending a shiver of fear down Ginny's spine as she gazed dumbstruck back at the beast.Hagrid, sensing danger, shoved Ginny out of the unicorn's sight and marched her through the gate.

"Don' know what could be wrong with it, ain't never seen anythin' like that," Hagrid muttered, shaking his head.Ginny sat on the steps of Hagrid's cabin, miserably gazing at the others, who were huddled about in groups, whispering, while Hagrid went back to see why the animal was acting so strange.For the rest of the session, Ginny stayed on the steps, listening to the growls of Fang who was inside, scratching at the door.On the way back to the castle, no one would look at her, but she could hear the whispers."Did you see what happened?" "Look at her, she's so pale and boney!I bet she's turned into a vampire!"Ginny heard one Slytherin boy sneer as she walked past the Slytherin table during lunch, "She hangs around that Potter quite a bit.Won't be surprised if she turns up dead like that Diggory boy a few years ago!"Ginny didn't feel like sitting at the Gryffindor table and immediately went up the stairs to lie down for a bit.

"Miss Weasley?" Professor McGonagall was waiting at the portrait of the Fat Lady."The Headmaster wishes to seeyou."

Ginny sighed wearily and followed McGonagall down the long corridor, up the winding stairs, and into the office of Professor Dumbledore.

"Wait here, if you please."Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at a chair, and the chair walked over to her and bowed gracefully.Ginny sat down.

Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's pet phoenix, was eyeing her warily from his post behind the door.His plumage was a beautiful gold and scarlet, and shone brightly in the firelight.Ginny turned away from the bird and looked towards the great cabinet behind the massive desk that sat in the middle of the circular room.She could see a glint of gold just inside the door.Curious, she got up to investigate, not noticing the shrewd eyes of the phoenix watching her. 

There was a dagger inside, the length of it stretching from her elbow to wrist.The whole of it must have weighed three pounds, especially at the handle where the largest emerald Ginny had ever seen sat, surrounded by smaller gems and encased in the finest gold.The blade was honed to a sharp point and Ginny had a feeling that it could cut through solid marble like melted butter.Footsteps echoed in the outside chamber, and Ginny quickly shut the door and ran back to her seat.

Dumbledore walked in, his great white beard nearly touching the tips of his shoes.His robes were of a dark navy, and his hat drooped over to the side, giving the impression that it bore a great weight upon it.

"Ah, Miss Weasley!" The headmaster greeted her warmly, a kind smile adding to the wrinkles carved into his face."I've been wanting to speak to you."Dumbledore sat down behind his desk and peered at her over his half-moon spectacles."It seems your professors have become a bit concerned for you.Your performance in classes is not up to your usual standards."He paused for a moment and Ginny felt his eyes pierce through her, as if he could see straight inside her."You've also lost a great deal of weight.A great deal.Your brother Percy also wrote to me and claimed you were having nightmares as well."

Ginny made a mental note to kill Percy the next time she saw him.Meddlesome prat.

"I just wanted you to know that my door is open anytime you want to come and talk to me about it," said Dumbledore."I know you and your father were very close and it's been hard on you.But you have friends and family that love you and want to help you, Ginny.Remember that.You are never alone."

_I've always been alone,_ thought Ginny.But she silently nodded and got up to leave."Thank you, Professor," she mumbled as she passed by the great bird, who ruffled his feathers and let out a shrill note.

Ginny closed the door and leaned up against it, sighing.All anyone ever wanted from her nowadays was to ask her if she was ok and if she needed to talk.It was quite tiring to have to give the same answers.

The way back to the Gryffindor common room was uneventful as Ginny did her best to avoid the passageways that was sure to be packed with students.The portrait of the Fat Lady looked down at her sadly as she gave the password and sternly told her she needed to take better care of herself.Ginny ignored her and went inside.

Ron, however, was much more stubborn than Ginny gave him credit for.She had thought that he would have taken this hint this morning and leave her alone.But he cornered her again as she tried to escape up the dormitory stairs and refused to let her pass.It was like trying to go around a mountain troll.

"Wanna tell me what happened this morning, Ginny?" he asked her, his blue eyes driving into her.Thank goodness the common room was deserted at this time of day, as most of the students were either finishing off lunch or heading to their next classes.

"There was just a slight incident at Hagrid's.Nothing to be upset over," Ginny told Ron nonchalantly as she repeated the mantra silently to herself.

"That was no slight incident, Ginny!You could've been killed!" he snarled at her, causing her to step back in surprise.

"Unicorns don't kill, you idiot!"

"Then why did that one try to attack you?"Ron's large hand seized her arm, his fingers wrapping around the thin bone, leaving purplish bruises as she tried to escape up to her room."Damnit, Ginny!What's wrong? And don't give me that crap about being tired anymore!"

"I'M FINE!" she spat out, trying to jerk lose of his hold and wincing in pain from the tightness of his grip.

"STOP SAYING THAT!!" he yelled at her, his blue eyes wild with anger and frustration.Ron, in spite of his Weasley temper, had never taken that tone with her and Ginny became suddenly very frightened.A tear rolled down her cheek.

All traces of color left Ron's face."Oh God, Ginny.I'm so sorry," he whispered, as his fingers slackened their grip from her arm.He moved suddenly, as if to embrace her, but Ginny, caught up in haze of panic and fear, did something she had never done in her sixteen years of life, not even when her brothers were at their worst.

WHACK!

Ginny's hand burned from the contact of skin against skin.Blood rushed up to Ron's cheek, making the imprint of her hand stand out like a brand.Silence was a loud roar in Ginny's ears as her mind tried to grasp itself around the consequences of her action.She couldn't move, couldn't breathe under the shocked blue stare of her brother, his mouth open in surprise.

"Ron….I…"The softly breathed words sounded harsh in the stillness.Unable to bear another moment, Ginny fled up the stairwell, not daring to look back.

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Ginny stayed in her room for the rest of the day, despite having another class she needed to attend.She curled up on her bed under the mass of quilts and blankets until darkness fell, and laid there until the chill in the room had permeated her blood and she could no longer stop shivering.She had to go downstairs and warm up in front of the large fire she knew would be blazing merrily in the fireplace.Ginny slowly rose, her legs quivering as she stumbled out into the hallway.

The other Gryffindors must have sensed all was not right with two of their fellow house-mates because only Harry, Ron, and Hermione were seated downstairs.All three of them lookedup as she crept down the stairs, her hand tightly clenching the handrail for support. Ginny noticed that Harry looked as if he wanted to come and help her, but he must have thought better of it because he turned away quickly and returned to the game of chess he and Ron were playing.Ron, of course, must have told them what she had done, and now all three of them weren't speaking to her.Ginny thought this was a fitting punishment.

Easing down into a comfortable chair right in front of the fireplace, Ginny could still see her friends out of the corner of her eye.Ron's back was to her, but she couldn't help but notice how stiffly he sat as he quietly murmured to his chess set to move.Hermione sat at a distance, obviously wanting to be near Ron, but also needing space for her homework.She was diligently hunched over a book, her quill in hand, poised to jot down any thing that might be of use.

Harry, Ginny noticed, seemed to be acting a bit unusual himself.He kept on fidgeting nervously as he waited for Ron to make the next move, constantly adjusting his glasses and shifted uncomfortably in his seat as if he was sitting on a bench full of nails.Curious, Ginny turned her head slightly to the right, to see him more clearly.He brushed back his fringe, and began rubbing the lightning shaped scar that sat off-center just above his right eyebrow.Sensing her gaze, his emerald eyes met hers, and for a moment, he froze, his hand pausedin the midst of his task.

Breaking away, Ginny hastily turned back to the fire.She now trembled uncontrollably, and bit her tongue in efforts not to cry out.Fumbling around in her robes, she found the pocket which normally held her wand, wanting to summon a blanket from the small cabinet a few feet away.

But instead of finding smooth polished wood, Ginny's fingers closed about cold metal.Frowning, she pulled out the heavy object and a small gasp escaped her lips as she saw what she held.It was the dagger from Dumbledore's office, the bright gold nearly blinding her in the light of the fire.The large emerald glowed brightly and Ginny quickly looked to see if the others could see it.

It was odd, Ginny felt warmer, calmer, more energized, as she held the knife.It had been months since she had felt like this and Ginny drew the blade closer, resting itupon her chest as she inspected the hilt further.She knew, somehow that this dagger could help her, it could set herfree.All she had to do was use it, and the agony that had become her daily life would disappear.

_Yes…yes…Ginny, come to me…be free…_It was her dad's voice, speaking in her head as if he was in the room with her.Ginny felt so light, as if she were floating on clouds.She could no longer see the orange glow of the fire as a thick fog of white drifted across her eyes.Her hands tightened around the hilt.

Pleasure-pain wrenched through her as the tip of the knife pierced her skin.Blood, warm and red began to soak her robes, leaving a dark stain that was visible even through the black woolen fabric.The sound of the ocean pounded through her brain, dulling out the deeper cry of pain from across the room.

"Harry!What is it?" Ginny heard Hermione shriek.There was a shuffling of chairs and the sound of a body hit the floor.

"What's wrong!" Ron cried.

"Nooooo!Get to Ginny!" came a strangled gasp from the floor.Ginny felt someone haul her to her feet and yank the dagger from her grasp.It fell to the floor with a resounding clatter, echoing in the circular room.The whole floor trembled violently.The fog cleared from her eyes enough to make out the form of her brother standing in front of her, shaking her.A look of terror was etched on his face.Her eyes focused on the scene behind him, the benches they had been sitting over knocked over, the chess pieces scattered about the table and floor and Hermione bent over Harry, who was still clutching his scar as he rose to his feet.

Then Ginny crumpled to the floor as the world went black.


	6. The Strongest Magic

A/N: Ok, so I have no clue what went wrong with the formatting in Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews!I'm glad to see everyone is enjoying this!

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When Ginny came to, she was very aware of her surroundings.She could feel the softness of the sofa underneath her, the warm velvet-like fabric against her skin, and a pillow under her head.Through the thick fog that had settled in her head, she could feel a weight on her chest, and a warm liquid was splattering down, filling her with warmth and strength.She attempted to open her eyes, but couldn't quite manage it.She could hear voices, and tried to focus her mind on what they were saying.

"It's not here, Harry!I don't see it anywhere!"This voice sounded panicked, and was farther away and accompanied by sounds of shuffling noises, like someone was searching for something.

"When Hermione gets back with Dumbledore, we can look for it then."This was said in a very low tone, right in Ginny's ear.She tried desperately to open her eyes."Ginny, please wake up."Her eyelids fluttered for a second, and finally they opened halfway, revealing beady eyes set into a face covered with scarlet plumage.It was Fawkes, and he was sitting on her chest.Puzzled as to why this would be, Ginny watched fascinated as a pearly drop formed at the corner of his eye, rolled down the glossy red feathers, and splashed down onto her, the incandescent fluid mixing with dried blood.Her robes had been pulled apart at the top, exposing the skin just above her breasts.There appeared to be a faint mark above her heart, but the slight scratch faded with another drop of the phoenix's tears.Ginny felt the fog leave her mind and she blinked again, taking in the background beyond the great bird.She could see a bright shade of emerald, encased by round glasses that reflected the candlelight from the torches behind her.Ginny frowned, confused as to why Fawkes was sitting on her, why Harry, who knelt beside her, looked so pale and anxious, and why her brother was standing just behind him, wearing an identical expression on his face, his own blue eyes bright with tears. 

Before she could open her mouth to ask what had happened, the memories hit her with the force of a lightning bolt.Visions of the day's events ran over her, and Ginny gasped as she remembered seeing the dagger with the gemstone that was as green as the eyes that had met hers across the common room.She remembered hearing her father's voice, and Ron shaking her senseless as he ripped the dagger from her fingers.

"Ron, I'm—" Ginny's voice cracked as she began to cry.She needed to apologize for slapping him, for some reason that stuck out as the worst event and it was very important that she explain that she never meant it.

"Shhh, Ginny, it's all right," Ron said, seeming to know exactly what she was going to say."Don't try to talk now, it's going to be fine.You're safe."He kissed her forehead, and gave her a small smile.

"Hermione went to get Dumbledore," Harry said.

"She's in here, Professor."As if on cue, the portrait hole opened, and entered Hermione gasping for breath, followed closely by the Headmaster, his long white beard trailing behind him.He stood and faced Ginny head on, looking down upon her with concern etched into the wrinkled lines of his face.Hermione stood next to him in a stance that reminded Ginny of Professor McGonagall.With her hands on her hips and her hair back into a neat bun, all Hermione needed was a pair of glasses to look like the strict head of Gryffindor.

"What's happened?"Dumbledore asked, taking in the sight of the overturned table and chairs, Ginny stretched out on the sofa with Harry, Ron, and Fawkes over her.

Ginny's throat tightened as she tried to think.How could she explain when she wasn't too sure what had happened herself?Her eyes met Ron's and Harry's, as if they held the answers.Harry, sensing her problem, calmly told all that had occurred that evening.

"My scar was hurting Professor, and when I looked at Ginny—it hurt more than ever—and I saw she had a dagger….and I knew what she was going to do.Ron went to stop her and he got the dagger from her.It disappeared."Ginny glanced up at these words, meeting the gaze of Dumbledore, his blue eyes glinting behind his half-moon spectacles. Another tear fell from Fawkes, and suddenly, she just had to confess everything, from the moment the unicorn had tried to charge her until she fell in a crumpled feet at her brother's feet.In a voice that trembled with threatening tears, Ginny spoke about finding the dagger in the cabinet in Dumbledore's office and her astonishment at later pulling it out of her robes instead of her wand.The blood drained from Ron's face when she spoke about hearing their father's voice in her mind.Harry's hands were clenched around one of hers, and his fingers went white at the knuckles when she described the floating feeling and the pain of the knife piercing her skin.

"Hmmm."Dumbledore said when she had finished."Hmmmm, indeed."

"What's wrong with me Professor?"Ginny choked out, her eyes stinging with unshed tears.Fawkes rose from his perch on her chest, (he was surprisingly light for such a massive creature), and landed on the spot just above her, like a feathered gargoyle.

Dumbledore thought about this for a minute, his head cocked to the side as he looked down at her."I have many theories, my dear girl, but before I tell you any of them, I need you to tell me about the nightmares you've been having."

Ginny hesitated.She really didn't want to think about those at the moment, the events of the day were just too much to handle as it was.Ginny told them about the dreams, how she was surrounded in darkness, unable to move, hearing her name being screamed, and a flash of white light.

"I knew that this would eventually happen," the Headmaster said quietly when she had finished.

"What?What would happen?"Ron, who had remained silent throughout most of this, finally found his voice.

"Do you know how Tom Riddle stole your soul, Ginny?"Dumbledore asked Ginny instead of answering Ron.

Ginny flinched at his name and nodded."It's because I wrote my thoughts into his diary."

"Partly, yes, that's true.As Tom Riddle, Voldemort used you—used your soul—to strengthen his own powers in order to get to Harry."At those words, Harry bowed his head, resting it on Ginny's stomach.His hands squeezed hers so forcefully that she winced in pain.Ginny ran the fingers of her other hand through the black hair in comfort.

Dumbledore continued, "I knew he was biding his time over the past few years, waiting for another perfect moment to strike again.I believe he found that moment when your father died."

"Dad?What does Dad have to do with this?"Ron asked.

"Your father's death gave Voldemort the perfect opportunity, because Ginny's own emotions were so weak.It enabled him to weaken her further, drain her of life, steal her soul."

"That's why I've been so tired," said Ginny very slowly.It was a wonder she didn't realize it earlier.She had been feeling exactly like the first time Voldemort had tried to take her over, during her first year at Hogwarts.The feeling of being trapped, of not knowing who to turn to, the constant ache, the endless nightmares—why hadn't she known what was wrong?

Dumbledore's silver moustache quivered."It was also why the unicorn tried to attack you today.It could sense Voldemort deep inside you."

"And my scar," said Harry in a dull voice."I could sense him too."

Dumbledore nodded, his white beard moving back and forth with the motion.Ginny looked at Harry in amazement.She'd hurt him, unknowingly yes, but waves of nausea washed over her at the thought of what could have happened, if somehow Voldemort had made her hurt Harry, just like he'd made her do all of those horrible things in her first year.She shivered, wishing another tear from Fawkes would fall and warm her up.Harry noticed the slight movement, got up to fetch a blanket from the cabinet by the fire, and tucked it around her.She mumbled a thank you, unable to meet his gaze.

"But Professor," Hermione interrupted, drawing Ginny's thoughts away from Harry, "The last time he used a diary to get to Ginny—something that was once his.How could he have done that now?"

"He didn't need to, Hermione."Dumbledore told her."There's a sort of….bond between Ginny and Voldemort, made through their first encounter.I would be very much surprised if he hadn't been monitoring Ginny's emotions all these years, waiting for the perfect time."

Ginny closed her eyes in anguish, hugging the blanket to her as if it could protect her from the truth of those words.She wasn't so far gone that she couldn't appreciate the irony of it all: how the one person who cared for Harry the most was the key to his downfall.Unable to stop herself, her gaze followed Harry to where he stood facing the fire, his back to her.He stood very still, ramrod straight, like he had been hit with the full body bind charm.The glow from the firelight cast highlights onto his shiny black hair, casting a warm golden glow on the strands that always stuck out in odd directions, making it seem as though he wore a halo.

"Why?" Ron asked, his voice rough. "Why have her try to kill herself?What purpose would that serve?What happened to the dagger, why did it disappear?What were you doing with it in the first place?And the nightmares she's been having, how do they fit into all this?"Ginny's brow furrowed.Her brother was right, why have her kill herself?What effect could that possibly have?

"There wasn't a dagger in the cabinet when I last checked it," Dumbledore said quietly, turning to face Ron."I don't believe I've ever heard of a dagger fitting that description.That is something we will look into first thing tomorrow morning.As for your sister's nightmares, I can't really say except that Voldemort is behind them, that much is clear.Perhaps Professor Trelawney could offer some more insight on the subject."Dumbledore looked at Ginny and said, "As for your first question, Ron, it's a bit complicated.You see, Voldemort has been feeding off emotions, that's what's kept him strong all these years."

"You mean my feelings for Harry," Ginny murmured aloud, feeling her cheeks warm despite the graveness of the situation.Unable to look at anyone, she kept her eyes focused on the sofa pattern, her fingers absently tracing the Gryffindor lion.

"No, Ginny," Dumbledore said, shaking his head."Voldemort was using Harry's own feelings for _you_ against _him_."

Those quietly spoken words echoed in the room.Ginny quickly looked over at Harry to watch his back stiffen even straighter than before, if such a thing was possible.He ran his fingers through his hair, making it stick up wildly in all directions, and exhaled with a deep sigh.

"How did he know?"Harry asked in a tone so low that Ginny had to strain her ears to hear him above the crackle of the fire.

Dumbledore moved over to Harry and leaned up against the mantle piece."He knew, Harry, because of your own bond with him.The bond created that night he was fully resurrected, when he took that single drop of blood from you."

"I still don't get it," Ron said plainly."How would killing Ginny—"

"Because," Harry interrupted, turning back around to face Ginny, "if Ginny died, it would have destroyed me."

Everything froze.No one spoke a word.Ginny was hypnotized by a pair of green eyes that were filled with such intense emotion, such feeling, that it was impossible for her to tear her gaze from him.All her dreams, all she had ever wanted out of life was reflected from Harry's eyes. The realization set in. _Harry loved her._He didn't have to say it, the truth of it was more powerful than mere words could offer.Harry had been carefully hiding his feelings from her, just as she held her own from him all these years.

"Yes, Harry.It seems that Voldemort is playing with both of your emotions, and using them to his advantage."

"Is, um…is…Vol-Voldemort still inside me?" asked Ginny, never once breaking the eye contact with Harry.

"Can you feel him inside you?" Dumbledore asked.

Ginny thought for a second.No, she couldn't say that she did.Right now she felt very odd, stunned in fact.It was the feeling of having your wildest dream come true and not knowing what to do with it.It was a strangely energizing feeling, as if one didn't know whether to run or walk.Ginny shook her head.

"Then perhaps you have once again managed to fight him off, Ginny.Or perhaps your spirit kept him from fully taking you over as he had once before," Dumbledore said.

"What happens now, Professor Dumbledore?"Harry asked.

"I believe we all should probably be getting to bed," Dumbledore said at last."It's been a most interesting evening."

"Interesting" didn't even begin to describe the events of this evening, Ginny thought.Fawkes flew over to his owner, landing with a flurry of golden feathers on the Headmaster's shoulder."I had the Fat Lady change the password, so there's most likely going to be a crowd waiting outside," Dumbledore warned them.

Ginny watched him leave, then turned back to look at the other three occupants.Ron was quietly speaking to Harry, who nodded his head and looked back at her.

"Ginny, come on, go on up to bed.We'll clean up here."Hermione came over and helped Ginny rise from the sofa.Ginny dazedly crept towards the stairs.She wanted to turn back, to say something to Harry, but didn't know what to say.Ron kissed her goodnight, and with Hermione's arm around her, she started up the dormitory staircase.

"Ginny?"

She stopped, but couldn't turn around. "Yes, Harry?"Her voice sounded odd, like it came from someone else.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

She swallowed, her mouth dry."Ok."

Hermione led Ginny past her own dormitory and into the Head Girl's room."You can sleep in here tonight, Ginny.So you won't be disturbed."Ginny nodded her thanks and Hermione summoned her nightdress and helped Ginny into it.Ginny stretched out on the soft bed, and closed her eyes.She slept peacefully for the first time in months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N:In a moment of sheer insanity, Imogen and I started up a discussion list at yahoogroups.com.I haven't figured out all the kinks, but here's the link anyway:[Queens of H/G][1]We'll be posting our stuff there, and maybe some unpublished things as well.And of course there will be the mandatory discussions on socks, sex, hot buttered toast, bouncing quarters, and of course Harry and Ginny.: )

   [1]: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/queensofhandg



	7. With Whatever Comes

"I believe we all should probably be getting to bed," Dumbledore said at last

**Chapter Seven: With Whatever Comes**

Ginny hadn't slept so peacefully in ages it seemed, and it was exceedingly difficult for her to wake up.The bright sunlight pouring in through the stained glass windows, signalling that it was a gorgeous fall day, did nothing to encourage her to leave the warmth and comfort of the bed.She merely pulled the duvet over her head and clutched the pillow to her as she snuggled back down into a dreamless sleep.

When she awoke next, the sunlight was even brighter, if such a thing was possible, and Ginny slowly blinked her eyes open, yawning.Her first coherent thought was that the room she was in was not hers.It wasn't the hospital wing, that much was certain, judging from the Hogwarts crest was illuminated in the stained glass window opposite her and the initials HG were embroidered on the duvet.There was an empty chair next to the bed, as though someone had watched her sleep all night.Ginny absently traced the fabric, trying to remember...

It was almost funny how, after all the startling events that had occured the previous evening, the first thing that jumped to the forefront of Ginny's memory was Harry's eyes.Last night those eyes had burned her soul; had finally told her what Harry had never been able to put to voice.Harry Potter loved her.After that, nothing else seemed important.

Ginny rose from the bed, noticing that her clothes were laid neatly out on Hermione's dresser.Ginny dressed, gasping at the sight of her reflection in the mirror above the dresser.She leaned closer in, wondering if her eyes had decieved her. 

"Very nice, dearie," said the mirror. 

It was as though the past few months had never existed.Her hair was no longer stringy and lackluster; it fell down to her back in rich, shiny waves of red in an even brighter, deeper, shade than the normal Weasley red.The strained, frightened look that had haunted her face was gone, as was the splotches of yellow and blue bruises that marred her pale skin.Her eyes were a deep, chocolate brown again, with golden flecks around the irises that sparkled in the candle light.Ginny stared at the mirror image of herself, not believing that she'd turned to normal so quickly.The girl that looked back at her gave no hint at all of the effects that the past few months had had on her. It must have been the phoenix tears that had brought about the change; phoenix tears had magical healing properties.

Ginny gave the mirror one last fleeting glimpse and turned the doorknob, her heart in her throat as she walked downstairs.Ginny had never been this self-conscious before and it was not a good feeling.She somehow thought that perhaps everything had been a dream, but dismissed the thought just as quickly; it didn't explain how she had awakened in Hermione's room.

"Do you think we should wake her?" Ginny could hear Hermione ask as she turned the corner at the stairs.They were all sitting in the cushions in front of one of the large windows, playing a game of exploding snap.A quick glance at the grandfather clock told Ginny it was nearly half past two in the afternoon.

"No.Let her sleep a bit longer," said Harry as he tossed a card onto the pile."She could use it after all she's been through."

"Yeah," agreed Ron, carefully placing a card on top of Harry's as the stack of cards began to smoke."When she wakes 

up—"

"I'm up," said Ginny coming up to them.Ron and Harry stood up so fast that the snap pack exploded, blasting a good sized hole in the table they had been using.Neither one noticed the smouldering wood and smoke.

"Ginny!"Hermione reached her first and hugged her, giving her a kiss on her cheek."Harry wouldn't let us wake you! How are you feeling?Did you get enough sleep?Are you hungry?We were talking about going to Hogsmeade later on…."Ginny just smiled as Hermione rapidly fired questions, not giving her a chance to reply. 

"You look great," Ron said as he drew her from Hermione and engulfed her in such a strong bear hug that Ginny wasn't able to breathe."Welcome back, munchkin," he murmurred in her hair, using the old nickname he had given her because of her dimunitive size.Ginny hugged Ron back as tightly as she could, causing him to grunt in surprise.

"You are freakishly strong, did you know that?"

Ginny giggled, realizing that it was the first time she had done so in a long time.She'd missed it."You have something on your nose, did you know that?" Ginny laughed as she leaned back to gaze up at him.

"Story of my life," said Ron as he wiped the bit of ash from the exploding snap pack off his nose.His face grew serious for a moment, the teasing light gone from his blue eyes."You're all right, aren't you?"

"Yes," Ginny replied."I'm going to be just fine."

"We were thinking of going down to Hogsmead.You feel like coming?I know you must be starving," said Ron.

Ginny was absolutely ravenous, but she didn't feel like walking to Hogsmeade.While she wasn't tired and weak anymore, she just wasn't in the mood to deal with a lot of questions that she knew the other Gryffindors would have, as well as the rest of the school, especially once they had noticed how her appearance had changed."No, I'll stay here.You go on and have fun."

"You want us to stay here?" Hermione asked."We don't mind at all.And Ron doesn't need any more dungbombs anyway."Hermione shot Ron a slight glare as she said this.Ron had never failed to buy a bulging sack of dungbombs during a Hogsmeade trip, even when Hermione had pointed out that he needed schoolbooks instead.At her words, Ron grinned sheepishly, his ears turning pink.

"I'm fine," Ginny repeated."You guys go on ahead.I'm just going to sneak down to the kitchens and grab something to eat and read a book or something.I'll be fine."

Ron gave her one last apprasing glance before he said, "Ok, then.If you're sure.Coming Harry?"

Ginny froze at the mention of the name.So far she hadn't even so much as glanced in his direction.He hadn't said anything and she wasn't too sure what she should say.Gathering up her courage, Ginny turned around to face Harry.He looked horrible, as though he'd not slept in the past fortnight.His hair was wildly mussed, the black strands were clumped together and poked out in all directions, and his beautiful green eyes were now bloodshot and dull.There were deep purple circles under them and did Ginny imagine it, or did his left cheek have a slight bruise on it? 

She shivered involuntarily as Harry's gaze caught hers."I'll stay here," he said very quietly.He looked as though he wanted to say more, but just shook his head and turned to face Ron.Ginny saw them exchange looks.Had something gone on between them last night?Surely Ron hadn't blamed Harry for what happened, had he?She frowned at the thought, hoping it wasn't so.

Ron turned to face Ginny again."We won't be gone long," he said, giving her one last quick hug."We'll bring you back some of those horrid Muggle crisps you love," he teased, tweaking her hair as Hermione have her a hug as well.Ginny offered them a smile and watched as they exited through the portrait hole.

Ginny turned around to face Harry again, jumping when she saw that he'd moved closer to her.She could see quite clearly a greenish bruise marring the smooth skin on his cheek.The whites of his eyes were criss-crossed with dark red veins and were almost lifeless looking.

"What happened to you?" Ginny asked, not aware of how rude the question may have sounded. 

Harry blinked."Nothing.Why?" 

"You and Ron didn't…he didn't…" 

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," said Harry. Ginny reached out to gently touch his cheek; Harry flinched but then closed his eyes as her fingers lightly stroked, checking for any signs of swelling.

A loud growl broke through the silence, startling both of them.

Ginny let out a horrified giggle."I guess I'm sort of hungry," she said, and as though to emphasize her point, her stomach let out another rumble.

Harry chuckled."I should say so.Come with me and we'll see what we can do about that."He held out his hand for her to take it.Ginny stared at the open palm for a moment before slipping her own into his.She shivered as a tiny current rippled through her at the contact.His hand was warm, the fingers calloused from years of Quidditch.

The trip down to the kitchens was a silent journey, broken only by the cackling of Peeves as he chased Mrs Norris down the corridor."Oh, it's potty wee Potter and weeny Miss Weasley!" the poltergist called after them as he flew through the air, knocking down suits of armor as he passed by.

Ginny barely paid attention to Peeves, even though a sword from one of the suits of armor just missed her by inches.Her mind was focused on Harry, as she thought about the events of the previous evening and of how much she wanted to say, questions that she wanted to ask, but wasn't able to put to words.Harry seemed to have the same problem as well, she noticed.He kept on giving her fleeting looks as though he too had too much to say and no idea where to begin.Every once in a while, he would squeeze her hand, held tightly in his, as though the small gesture would somehow communicate his thoughts to her, and oddly enough, it did.

The painting of the fruit loomed over them before Ginny realised they were at the entrance to the kitchens.The pear giggled as Harry reached up to tickle it, and turned into a doorknob.The kitchens inside Hogwarts were a lively place at any time of the day or night.Smells of baking bread, roasting meat, and sweets mingled together in the air as the door was opened, making Ginny's stomach growl even louder.Harry grinned as he held the door open for her to enter.Before Ginny had even cleared the doorway, she was knocked backwards, her head hitting the doorjamb as several small missles launched themselves at her, throwing their small arms around her waist and hugging so tightly she could barely breathe.

"Lady Wheezy! Lady Wheezy!"Dobby was the first to reach her, followed closely by Winky, Pippa, and a few other house-elves that Ginny was acquainted with.Dobby had taken quite a liking to her, ever since she'd first visited the kitchens with Hermione, Ron and Harry in her fourth year.Hermione was still trying to get everyone involved with S.P.E.W, and during one of her lectures on elf rights, an accident had occurred.Winky's tea cozy had caught fire and Ginny, who was nearest, was the first to put it out, burning herself badly in the effort.From that moment on, Ginny was idolized by the house-elves, who were amazed that anyone would go to such lengths to save one of their own.

"Dobby!" Ginny gasped."How are you?"She looked to Harry, hoping that he would get the hint and help extract her from the tiny circle.He just stood there, laughter shining in his eyes as he took in the sight of house-elves climbing all over her.

"Oh, Dobby is fine, miss! Just fine! Dobby heard that you were not feeling well, but Dobby knew that Harry Potter would take care of you for you are Harry Potter's—"  
  
"Ok, Dobby, let her breathe," Harry interjected, gently pulling Ginny away.Ginny noticed that his face seemed a bit flushed, but didn't know if it was because of Dobby's praise, or from the heat from the fireplace.Harry let her to the two chairs set near the fireplace."Ginny hasn't eaten anything since last night Dobby—" But before Harry could finish, an enormous tray loaded with tea, eclairs, biscuits, and all of Ginny's favorite sweets was placed in front of her.

"Thank you Dobby," Ginny said through a mouthful of cream cake.

"Why is Lady Wheezy not eating, Harry Potter?" asked Dobby, his ears twitching as those huge eyes of his fell on Ginny.

"She was sick, Dobby.Very sick."Harry poured Ginny and himself a cup of tea.Ginny could help but notice how the cup shook on the saucer when he handed it to her.

"Poor Lady Wheezy!"said Winky, who had come to sit next to Ginny."Is Lady Wheezy better now, Harry Potter?"Her own eyes were watering."Lady Wheezy cannot be sick!"

Ginny did not like being talked about as though she was not there."I'm fine, Winky.Just a bit hungry, that's all."This seemed to cheer up Winky and Dobby as they both gave her tremulous smiles and nodded eagerly.

"Oh, Harry Potter!" Dobby exclaimed suddenly, startling both Harry and Ginny."Guess who Dobby saw yesterday afternoon!"

"Who Dobby?"

"It was Dobby's old master's son!And Dobby didn't have to iron his ears, or stick his head in the oven, or beat himself at all!"Dobby announced this proudly, his ears now wiggling in delight."Dobby hasn't seen him since he'd been freed."

Winky frowned at Dobby's words.The other house-elves, who'd all been listening avidly to the conversation, now turned away and went back to work.Ginny had to suppress a smile behind her tea-cup.Despite all of Hermione's attempts at getting S.P.E.W off the ground, the house-elves still did not approve of being free and acted as though Dobby had said something scandalous.While Ginny suspected that Hermione had not given up, she was too stubborn for that, Ginny knew that between her new subjects, her new responsibilities as being Head Girl, and finding time to spend with Ron, Hermione hadn't had much time to involve herself with S.P.E.W.

"That's great Dobby," said Harry smiling.Ginny knew that Dobby was referring to Draco Malfoy, whose family Dobby had worked for before Harry had freed him in her first year.

"Dobby saw him sitting in the Headmaster's office, when Dobby went to check on the Headmaster's fire."

"You were in Dumbledore's office, Dobby?"Ginny looked up from her plate of sweets; she'd been deciding on what to eat next when Harry's voice cut into her thoughts.Harry was now sitting up very straight and his eyes were narrowed as though Dobby had said something alarming.

"Yes, sir.Dobby goes in there everyday to check on the fires, and Dobby saw his old master's son sitting in the chair before the desk."

"When was this Dobby?" asked Harry.

"Almost before the noon meal, Harry Potter. Dobby remembers since he had to hurry to go back down and help in the kitchens."

Harry turned to Ginny."You were in there right after that weren't you?"

Ginny swallowed the treacle tart she was eating."Yes."Then she cottoned on to what Harry was leading up to."Oh Harry, you can't think that Malfoy had something to do—"

"It makes perfect sense!We all know what the Malfoys are anyway, just ask Dobby—"Harry gestured towards to Dobby, who was nodding his head frantically.

"Yes, Lady Wheezy!Dobby's former masters were powerful Dark Wizards!"Dobby clamped his hand over his mouth.

Harry jumped up from his seat as though discovering it was on fire, grabbed Ginny's arm and said, "We've got to get to Dumbledore and tell him this!I can't imagine why he hasn't put two and two together."

"Harry, really!" Ginny cried, twisting out of his grasp to grab one last éclair."You can't be serious.I know what the Malfoys are, believe me, but this doesn't make much sense."Harry acted as though he never heard her and ploughed onwards through the entrance through the kitchens.Ginny stopped dead in her tracks, right in the middle of the corridor, folded her arms across her chest and waited for Harry to realise that she was no longer following him. "I'm not going anywhere Harry Potter," she said defiantly."This is crazy, you know it.Malfoy would have had to have known that I was going to end up in Dumdledore's office later on that day to even plant that dagger."She said all of this to a very stiff Harry, who had stopped, but hadn't turned around."You can't march up to Dumbledore and accuse Malfoy of that, especially with no proof," she said reasonably.Harry finally turned around, and Ginny almost smiled, thinking that he'd seen her way of reasoning.

He hadn't."How many times is it going to take Ginny?" His voice was deadly calm."Do you realise that this is the second time your life has been placed in danger because of a Malfoy?" With each word he spoke, he took a step towards her, and for one fleeting moment, Ginny was absolutely terrified of Harry Potter.His eyes were wild-looking and she could almost feel the fury radiating off of him. Harry was always so calm, so in control, that it was alarming to see him act this way.She hadn't realised she had been moving backwards until she felt the cold thick wooden panneling against her back.Harry paused mere inches from her.

"Twice Ginny!" He almost shouted."Two times you've almost died because of him!Remember that diary Lucius Malfoy gave you?How did he know that you'd be in Flourish and Blotts that day, didn't you ever wonder?And why did he choose you, ofall people to give the diary to?"

Ginny shook her head wordlessly, but didn't know whether it was in answer to Harry's questions or because she didn't want to think back to the events of her first year.Harry must've not been too pleased with her reply, because he took her arms in a hard grip and shook her so hard her head was knocked up against the pannelling, making her teeth rattle."Twice you've been placed in danger, Ginny!Twice! Because….because of…me!"He immediately let go of her, stepped away, and once Ginny had managed to focus her eyes on him again, she saw that he was no longer angry, but very frightened.His nostrils were flaring and he was almost panting with the effort to breathe.

"I…did…I didn't mean…did I hurt you?" he squeaked.Ginny tried to say that she was fine, but Harry surprised them both by pulling her into his arms and burying his face in her hair, hugging her so tightly that she couldn't breath.

"God, I'm so sorry.I'm so sorry," he murmured, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head."This is all my fault."

"Harry, this isn't your fault!" she cried, pulling back to face him."None of this is!"

Harry wasn't listening to her.His eyes took on a glassy look as he stared into the space behind her."I hid it for a year, I thought I had it under control.I knew you'd be in danger if he ever found out, knew you'd become the prime target if he went after me again.He'd use you to get to me, just like he did before in the Chamber of Secrets.I never wanted you to find out like this…" His voice broke as he looked away.

Ginny gently reached out and touched his cheek, blinking when she felt warm moisture on her fingertips."Harry," she whispered, not knowing what else to say.She wrapped her arms around him and held him as tightly as she, laying her head on his chest, listening to the pounding heartbeat, inhaling the clean scent of his robes, a mixture of citrus and light musk.Time became lost as they stood there,arms wrapped securely around each other as though they expected the other to be ripped from them.

Finally Harry raised his head."What do we do now?"

Words Ginny had once heard Hagrid say popped into her mind."Well, with whatever comes, we'll face it.Together."Harry nodded and smiled down at her, making her heart skip.


	8. Other Uses for Invisibility Cloaks

A/N: Wow, I can't even thank everyone enough for the reviews

**Chapter Eight: Other Uses for Invisibility Cloaks**

Once again Ginny found herself inside the Headmaster's office, with its dark wood furnishings, portraits of past Headmasters staring haughtily down at her, the figure of the current Headmaster sitting behind his great desk, his eyes twinkling through half-moon spectacles. Harry had insisted that they go see Dumbledore immediately and tell them what Dobby had seen the previous day. Dumbledore, to his credit, seemed to take Harry's accusations in stride, much more so than Ginny would have, if the roles had been reversed. Ginny knew that Harry was acting more on his past hatred of Draco Malfoy, and that was guiding his judgment. It just didn't make sense, Ginny thought, for Malfoy to have planted the dagger in the cupboard, there were too many variables in the equation that could've gone wrong. He couldn't have known Voldemort was controlling her, he couldn't have known she'd end up in the Headmaster's office that day. 

Dumbledore listened intently, his spectacles glinting in the firelight, nodding his head every so often, until Harry had finished.

"Harry," Dumbledore said at last. "I don't believe Young Malfoy planted the dagger."

Harry looked incredulous. "You don't? But…why?" he asked. 

Dumbledore heaved a great sigh, "That's an answer I cannot give you just yet, Harry. You must trust me." Harry started to protest, but Dumbledore held up a hand. "I know trust isn't easy, especially when there is a loved one involved," he said solemnly and Ginny blushed at the glance Dumbledore gave her. "But I must ask that you try, Harry." Harry stared at the Headmaster for a moment, just before nodding his head silently. Dumbledore turned to Ginny, his blue eyes now twinkling with merriment. "And while we are on the subject of Young Malfoy—Miss Weasley, I'm sure you will be pleased to know that the spell you used on him has completely worn off. That was a powerful curse, though its effects were more humiliating than dangerous." Ginny could've sworn that Dumbledore chuckled. She felt the urge to laugh as well, but one look at Harry told her that he was not amused by the news, despite the fact that he had once thought Malfoy's predicament especially humorous. Harry was standing ramrod straight, his green eyes piercing into Dumbledore as though in hopes that if he stared hard and long enough, he would have the answers he needed. Dumbledore stared back at Harry, just before casually dismissing them with a wave. "I believe it's almost time for dinner, Harry, Miss Weasley. And there's a delightful custard tart that's on the menu tonight that I've been craving all week. I dare not be late, since I know Professor Snape also has a fondness for them as well, and the last time he nearly ate the entire bowl, before I had so much as taken a bite of one."

Ginny, taking the hint, literally dragged Harry to the door. "Thank you Professor," she called out, just before Harry almost slammed the door behind them.

"Harry?" She could practically feel the anger radiating from him, and his hand grasped hers in such a tight grip that her knuckles cracked. "Harry—what is it?"

"I'm just so sick of him!" Harry swore violently. "He always does this to me, Ginny! He never, ever gives me a straight answer! Never! He always knows more than he lets on, and tries to play God while innocent people get hurt!"

Ginny was absolutely shocked. She'd never, ever heard anyone, especially Harry, speak of Dumbledore in such a way. While she worked out a reply to that, Harry continued speaking in a harsh tone, pulling her behind him as he marched down the corridor back to the Gryffindor common room.

"I can't believe that he can stand there and tell me that he trusts Malfoy, after all that family has done to me—to yours! Even after all the evidence that I gave him! I can't stand this, Ginny! I won't!"

"Harry, please! I don't like the Malfoys any better than you do, but you've got to admit, you don't have much proof—"

"I have all the proof that is needed!" Harry snarled, his eyes flashing. "I know he's behind this, he's always been behind this. And he—" Harry gestured back towards Dumbledore's office—"he tells me that I'm just to sit and wait for them! NO!"

"Harry!" Ginny said harshly, jerking on his arm so roughly she was sure she'd pulled it off. "Harry, just think about what you're saying! Dumbledore is obviously trying to protect you!"

"Meanwhile, he's not doing a damn thing to protect _you_!"

Ginny straightened up to her full height, "I'm not the one Voldemort is after, Harry. You can't go after Malfoy, no matter what you think he's guilty of! Promise me!" Her voice shook with anger and raw emotion. "Promise me, Harry!" Moments passed silently as each glared at the other, furious brown eyes meeting a sparking green. Taking his silence for consent, Ginny added, "And Ron doesn't know about any of this, do you hear? I don't want him to know about this!" Harry looked as though he might balk at this demand, but Ginny was too determined. "No Harry! Ron is not to know about any of this!" Ginny would be damned if she had to worry about her hot-headed brother going after Malfoy in addition to Harry. While Harry at least could be a tiny be reasonable when in a temper, Ron was not—always the type to curse first and ask questions later.

"Come on then, let's go," Harry said finally. 

"Not until you say it Harry," Ginny replied. "Promise me."

He pursed his lips, then nodded. "Ok, I won't go after Malfoy. And I won't tell Ron. Ok?" Ginny didn't move an inch. Harry threw up his hands in exasperation. "Damnit! I promise!" 

****

Harry was as good as his word it seemed. For the next few days, Ginny waited, suspecting all the while that he had told Ron, and she lived in a state of fear that Ron was going to do something to Malfoy in retaliation. But Harry kept his promise, although from the heated glances he cast her every so often, she knew that he was not happy about it at all. Then there were the other looks he gave her, glances that spoke volumes, intent gazes that set Ginny's heart pounding. They hadn't been alone since that Saturday, hadn't spoken more than a few words since Harry made his promise in the corridor leading up to the Gryffindor Tower. And to be completely honest with herself, Ginny wasn't too sure that she wanted to be alone with Harry, crazy though it may seem. She felt foolish, like a child that had been handed the Christmas present it had always wanted, but didn't know how to open it. Ginny noted that Harry must have felt something similar, as he too, seemed as though he were tip-toeing around her, never doing anything more than holding her hand as he walked her to breakfast in the mornings, or brushing up against her in the hallways as they passed going from one class to the other. 

Apparently the others had noticed that things were not as they should be between Harry and herself, as Ron pointed this out to her over a game of chess one evening.

"So what's up with you two?" he asked casually, his hawk-like gaze watching her make her next move. Ginny ordered her knight two spaces to the left, putting Ron's bishop in danger. 

"What do you mean?" she asked, waiting until he was pondering his next move, in efforts to throw him off.

"Come off it, Gin. You know what I mean," he replied, rolling his eyes in a way that reminded Ginny of Hermione. She bit her lip as she glanced over to the sofa where Hermione was tutoring Neville on Potions, while Harry sat next to her, scribbling furiously on parchment while a thick tome was balanced precariously on his knee. As though sensing her eyes on him, he looked up and Ginny blushed and quickly turned back towards the chess game, watching Ron's pawn taunt one of hers. She heard a crash, and sneaked another glimpse from the corner of her eyes, to see Harry bend over to pick up the heavy volume that apparently had fallen from its perch.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I mean," Ron said, sitting back and folding his arms across his chest. "You two have been walking on glass around each other for days now. What's the problem, eh? You've both been in love with each other for years—you've been in love with him since you were eleven! And he's been in love with you for over a year now—what's the bloody problem?"

Ginny was in shock. "How did you know that?" she whispered, so that only Ron would hear her. The chess pieces were now leaning forwards intently, making no secret that they were hanging on every word said. Ginny ignored them.

"Bah, it was so obvious!" Ron said with the air of someone who knew all the world's deepest secrets. "And people said I was thick about Hermione? Please, it was obvious how he felt about you…well, to everyone but you, that is. And him."

Ginny digested this for a moment. Then, suddenly deciding that she did not want to talk about this with her brother, she changed the subject to another topic, one that had been on her mind for days.

"Ron, how did Harry get that bruise on his cheek?"

Ron sat back, clearly startled by her abrupt question. Ginny could literally see the cranks in his head turning, thinking about what he should or shouldn't tell her. "Did you hit him?" 

"No, no. I…I did hit him, but it wasn't because…it was because…because…" Ron shot a furtive glance at Harry. "That night, Harry went a bit…mad. He…uh…he sorta lost control." Ron swallowed and began to fidget nervously, shifting around on the bench, playing with the end of a quill that had been left by a student. Lost control? How? Ginny continued to gape at her brother, who shifted uncomfortably under the intense gaze. "Look Ginny, that's all I'm going to say, alright?" Ron got up and went upstairs, grabbing his broomstick on his way and hoisting it over his shoulder. Ginny sat at the chess table a moment longer, trying not to look at Harry. What did Ron mean? 

"Hey."

Ginny jumped as Harry sat down next to her. She'd been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard him come up. "Hi," she said.

"Did you win the game? Ron's always been a sore loser," Harry said, a small smile teasing the corner of his lips. "Mind you, I've never beaten him, you're the only one who's been able to last longer than five minutes against him."

"No, we…we…just got tired of playing," she said, finally meeting his eyes. The bluish bruise on his cheek had almost completely disappeared, but Ginny couldn't help but stare at the faint impression left. What had happened that evening for her brother to hit his best friend? 

"Oh," Harry said. This was ridiculous, thought Ginny. Ron was right, what was their bloody problem? They were obviously in love with each other, Ginny could see it in his eyes, knew her own reflected the same emotion. She waited for him to make the next move.

"Well, then," Harry sighed. "I'll be off. Goodnight." Ginny sighed as she watched him leave. Tomorrow, she thought, tomorrow she'd have to do something, or else they'd be trapped in limbo forever.

****

"Ginny? Ginny, wake up!" 

"Mmmmm…." Ginny rolled over and hugged her pillow to her, ignoring the sensation of someone standing over her.

  
"Ginny!" A voice whispered furiously. Ginny felt herself being poked in her side. As she was extremely ticklish, this was an effective wake up.

"Wha--?" she asked as she blinked sleepily, rising up to stare out in the darkness of her bed. A quick glance at the bedside table showed that it was barely three am. She turned and plumped up her pillow, clearly intending to go back to sleep. She never got the chance.

"Scoot over!" Harry's voice whispered in her ear. 

"Harry?" Ginny blinked in the darkness trying to make out his form.

"Shhh!! You wanna wake the whole dormitory? Now scoot over, it's cold out here!"

Ginny sleepily obeyed, and watched amazed as she felt a large body stretch out on the bed next too her. There was an imprint of a head laying on the pillow next too her. 

"What are you doing here?" she asked the invisible Harry.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Now?" she whispered. "Why?"

"Well, I haven't had much time to see you, have I?" came Harry's voice in a warm gush of air that made Ginny's heartbeat increase. "I've only seen you in the hallways, and at meals, and well…tonight…." his voice trailed off. Ginny felt a pair of arms wrap around her and pull her closer to him, despite the fact that he was resting above the warm covers and she was below them. "You should appreciate my efforts," he chuckled. "I had to make a deal with your brother to come here."

"What sort of deal?"

"Ron'll pretend to look the other way when I use this to visit you as long as I continue to let _him_ use it to visit the Head Girl in that nice big, comfy room she has all to herself." Ginny could feel Harry nuzzle the whips of hair that escaped from her plait and curled around her cheek, and she couldn't help but snuggle closer to him.

"I really didn't need to hear about that," Ginny replied, not wanting to think of what Ron used the cloak to do.

Harry chuckled again. "Didn't think you would. This is nice by the way," he added hugging her closer. 

"Very nice. Somehow I don't think this is what your father had in mind when he left this to you," she gently chided, reaching out to feel the edge of the invisibility cloak. "I thought you said that Dumbledore told you that your dad used it to nick food from the kitchens."

"Nah, that was a lie, I bet. According to Sirius, _this_ was it's main purpose. I certainly can't think of a better one, can you?" Harry teased.

"Nooo," she said slowly, "but can't you take it off now?" It was rather hard to have a conversation with an invisible Harry and Ginny wasn't too positive she wasn't dreaming the whole thing up. 

"I can't. I might have to make a quick exit," Harry sighed.

Ginny's brow furrowed. "What's wrong Harry? Something's wrong."

Warm lips traced a path down the side of her face, finally resting just below her ear. "My scar hurt me tonight. More than usual. It woke me up and I wanted to come check on you."

"Harry, you've got to go tell Dumbledore. Right now!" Ginny said, nudging him with her elbow to get him to move. 

"I will tomorrow," he agreed. He changed the subject. "It's hard, this being in love thing, isn't it?"

Ginny wasn't fooled by his change of subject. "Harry, this is serious! You have to go to Dumbledore."

She felt him caress her cheek. "Shhh…I will. First thing tomorrow." Ginny narrowed her eyes at the pillow his head was on. 

"This is hard," she said at last, in reply to his first question.

"You won't let me flounder around like Ron did with Hermione when they first started out, will you?"

Ginny giggled. "I'll try not too." Her brother Ron had a hell of a time with Hermione in their first year as a couple.

"You'd think someone would have written at least one book on the subject," Harry muttered dejectedly.

"Well, when we get out of here, we'll have to convince Dumbledore to let us teach a class on it. We should have this figured out by then." She snuggled up closer to him, laying her head on what she thought was his chest, his heart beat strong under her ear. 

"God, I hope so," he sighed deeply.

Ginny drew a deep breath, screwed up her courage, leaned back, and finally asked the one question that had been plaguing her. "Shouldn't you've kissed me by now?"

She felt Harry freeze. Ok, so maybe not, she thought.

"I just did," Harry said. "Right here, in fact." Ginny felt him run a fingertip down the side of her cheek where he had just trailed kisses.

Ginny glared at the pillow where Harry's head was resting. "I mean a _real _kiss, you dunderhead."

Harry silently shook with suppressed laughter. "You have no idea how I've wanted to….but…well I…I guess I was waiting for the right moment."

"Oh." She pondered that for a second, biting her lip. "Do you think this might be the right moment?"

"Do you want me to kiss you?" he asked, as if that wasn't obvious enough.

"Well if you think it's such a chore, Harry Potter, then please do not bother," she hissed.

"Shhhhh! I was joking!" Ginny felt him push her onto her back, pressing her into the mattress, leaning over her, his lips mere inches from her own.

"Wait you idiot! I want to see you!" Ginny tugged at the invisibility cloak, revealing Harry's head and torso. His black hair was tousled, dark strands flying in all directions. She happened to glance down, staring at where the moonlight bounced off his chest. "Harry!" she choked out, feeling heat rush to her face as she stared unabashedly at Harry's _naked_ chest in the strip of light peeking through the curtains. "Are you—?"

"No!" he exclaimed hurriedly, following the direction of her gaze. "No, silly, I've got on the bottoms, see?" Harry stuck out a pyjama-clad leg and wiggled his toes.   
  
"Oh, thank God!" she cried, relieved at this point to not have to deal with a naked Harry. She started laughing uncontrollably at the hilarity of the situation. Not that she didn't mind his chest, she thought.

"Will you hush! You're gonna get us caught! Do you want me to kiss you or not?" Harry definitely did not appreciate her humor.

"I'm sorry!" she said to placate him. "It's just funny. I'm ready now for my kiss," she gasped, biting her lip in order to control the giggles.

Harry, his face now intent, slowly angled his lips over hers. Their first kiss was rather ticklely, as Ginny had not completely stopped giggling.

Harry drew back, flustered. "Ginny!"

"I'm sorry, sorry!" Ginny quickly raised up, closed her eyes and meshed their mouths together. Blood pounded in her ears, making white dots dance behind her eyelids. When they separated a few minutes later, she uttered, "Wow."

"Mmmmm." It was Harry's turn to chuckle. "A nice start, I'd say," he added, kissing her deeply again, his fingers trapped in her red hair, holding her still. A loud snort coming from one of the other beds broke them apart.

"I'd better go before someone wakes up," he whispered raggedly, gasping for breath. 

Ginny pulled the cloak back over Harry's head, not breathing too easily herself. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely!" He gave her one last quick kiss and disappeared. 

~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! 


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